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Friday, May 1, 2015

LaPlace iff Plato

Kristor: LaPlace iff Plato -- wherein Kristor argues that "Naturalistic explanations can work as descriptions of actual causal relations among reals only if nominalism is false. ... But the falsity of nominalism entails the reality of the Forms. It entails supernaturalism."

Or, to put it another way: naturalistic explanations can work as descriptions of actual causal relations [amongst natural entities] if-and-only-if [philosophical naturalism and materialism] is false.

To put this yet another way: "Methodological Naturalism is able (to be used) to make true statements about reality if-and-only-if Philosophical Naturalism is false"

While I doubt that Kristor had this similarity in mind, Gentle Reader may recall my observation that "Atheism is a wordlview that *matters* only if it is false."

4 comments:

B. Prokop said...

O-o-o-o-oh! So that's what is meant by all those "Team Reason" bumper stickers that I see.

"I can't believe that!" said Alice.
"Can't you?" the Queen said in a pitying tone. "Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes."
Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said: "one can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Ilíon said...

"O-o-o-o-oh! So that's what is meant by all those "Team Reason" bumper stickers that I see."

As I'm sure you're well aware, the people who boast of being on "Team Reason" are inevitably 'atheists'. And, as I expect you have experienced enough times to validly extrapolate: whenever reason demands assent to the statement, “… Therefore: God is”, the members of "Team Reason" -- *because* they are God-deniers -- will inevitably:
1) deny that via reason human beings can discover (previously unknown) truths;
2) or, deny the very basis of reason and knowledge;
2) or, deny both

B. Prokop said...

Speaking of im-irrational, if you've got the stomach for it, you've got to check out the latest entries over on his blog. I can't decide which is funnier - his "I was only trying to learn" defense of his disruptive behavior over on DI, or the sweet little dialog between him and Linton about how they're the only two honest people in a world of bullshitters.

Pathetic.

(And I'm still trying to figure out how I got to be the heavy concerning his ouster.)

Anonymous said...

Ilion,

And yet, they will just redefine naturalism so that it can include such things as Platonic Forms. Ahh, naturalism...the ever flexible term!

Vox Maximus
www.voxmaximus.wordpress.com