Hi Mario,

Thanks for your response. I think all 20 statements are true. I just wanted to check my thinking against the thinking of people smarter than me to help keep me thinking straight.

In statement 16, I tried to capture the idea that Dick, Harv, and I have butted up against so many times. The way I argued it with Harv at one time was to observe that if one had certain knowledge that X was the explanation for the origin of reality, then one was immediately open to the challenge of explaining the origin of X.

It might be claimed that it is X's all the way down. Or it might be claimed that at some point, the very question becomes meaningless. Or some people might allow what I consider to be the unacceptable nonsense of infinite regress.

I guess it is pure speculation on my part, but I think that the ultimate origin of anything is unknowable, just as Dick has eloquently argued several times.

Regardless of the correctness of my speculation, I think the weaker statement that 'No human thinker knows the origin of any thinker.' has a greater or equal probability of being true.

Warm regards,

Paul

• A thinker is NOT needed. - alexander - June 20, 2001 - 19:39 UTC
  • I think so - paulm - June 20, 2001 - 20:10 UTC
    • Let me guess - paulm - June 20, 2001 - 20:22 UTC