How About, To Occur, Or To Take Place. - an Astronomy Net God & Science Forum Message

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How About, To Occur, Or To Take Place.

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Posted by Paul R. Martin on April 14, 2001 00:24:16 UTC

At first I was inclined to stay Cartesian and claim that "Thought exists", but the word 'happens' added the dynamism that I feel characterizes thought. The dictionary definitions, 'Occur' and 'take place' don't have the same necessary feeling of dynamism so I still think 'happens' captures it best.

Of course, what I am trying to capture is my own personal subjective feeling of the experience of thought.

Also, of course, if we continue to demand definitions of each word we use, either our definitions become circular, or we must acknowledge some starting vocabulary on which we agree without definition.

The third alternative, is to agree that we can't hope to capture any absolute truth in language and the best we can do is use enough words to get some confidence that the idea we are discussing is pretty nearly the same in each of our minds.

Unless you have a proposal for an axiomatic vocabulary of undefined words, then that third alternative is the spirit in which I think we should discuss things.

Warm regards,

Paul

Follow Ups:

Two minds with a single thought!! - doctordick - April 14, 2001 - 14:37 UTC
- The purpose and types of absolute truth - paulm - April 14, 2001 - 23:41 UTC
  - A trivial absolute truth! - doctordick - April 15, 2001 - 03:04 UTC
    - I think we agree. - paulm - April 15, 2001 - 20:59 UTC
    - Oops! - paulm - April 15, 2001 - 21:20 UTC
  - The sinister thing! - doctordick - April 15, 2001 - 03:25 UTC
    - Yes, we agree exactly. - paulm - April 15, 2001 - 21:09 UTC
- Absolute truth? - harvey1 - April 15, 2001 - 19:22 UTC
  - I think the answer is 'yes' - paulm - April 15, 2001 - 21:14 UTC
    - Absolute and truth - harvey1 - April 16, 2001 - 20:34 UTC
      - True or not true! - doctordick - April 16, 2001 - 21:53 UTC
        
        Trouble with communication - harvey1 - April 17, 2001 - 15:36 UTC
        
        I agree! - doctordick - April 17, 2001 - 19:10 UTC
      - You forget, I'm the guy who knows only one absolute truth! - paulm - April 16, 2001 - 22:26 UTC
  - I can not be alone! - doctordick - April 16, 2001 - 19:58 UTC

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