Comments

  • What does "real" mean?
    If the bartender is not real, what is he? .Banno

    He could be a reflection in a window that Jack takes for a bartender.

    "Real", as you've used it makes perfect sense in spite of the fact that you don't know how exactly he's not real. The "how" of it is a different issue.

    But Austin's insight isn't refuted. Most words have meaning relative to their negations. That wisdom did not originate with Austin.
  • What does "real" mean?
    like idealism and the problem of ‘real’.Tom Storm

    I'm not sure what that is.
  • What does "real" mean?
    And there's deeper significance to the real/unreal opposition.
    — frank

    Tell me more about what you're thinking here.
    Tom Storm

    Meaning tends to depend on negation. As Hegel said, a thing and its negation make up one concept.

    For example, far/near is one concept where "far" ultimately means "not near."

    Same with reality. Real/unreal are components of one concept. The reason a thing isn't real is semi-secondary to the prime concept.
  • What does "real" mean?
    was aiming for the Kubrick version which is more ambiguous.
    — frank

    Sure, which makes it a problematic example for any hypothetical testing of 'the real'.
    Tom Storm

    Why? We're just looking at instances of use.

    What can this illuminate for us outside of film criticism and interpretation of the director's intention?Tom Storm

    I assert that in some cases, "real" is meaningful when it's only known negation is "unreal.". Kubrick's Shining is an example.

    We aren't trying to identify some meaning for "real" that transcends use. And there's deeper significance to the real/unreal opposition. It won't be shuffled under a rug.
  • What does "real" mean?
    Supernatural subtext of King's novel aside (are ghosts real?), is the contrary not Jack's recovered sanity (possibly via antipsychotic medication)?Tom Storm

    I was aiming for the Kubrick version which is more ambiguous. Is Jack delusional? Does he have the shining?

    We can identify the bartender as unreal without knowing for sure what the explanation is. The contrary here is just "unreal."

    I've worked with many people with psychotic illnesses who mark a demarcation between unreal experiences (psychosis) and real life (recovery).Tom Storm

    There are drugs which can take the ability to distinguish reality from imagination off line.
  • What does "real" mean?
    We can use "real" to differentiate in particular explicit cases - a real painting, a real foot, by understanding what the contrary is - a counterfeit painting, an artificial foot.

    But some folk wish to contend that there is a way of using "real" that somehow goes beyond that, having no contrary.
    Banno

    Jack thinks the bartender is real, but he's not.

    What's the contrary in this case?
  • Philosophy and Critical Thinking course
    I also registered. Thanks!
  • Brazil Election
    No, I guess you already know I am Spanish! :eyes:javi2541997

    I didn't know. I was going to ask you a bunch of questions if you were. :grin:
  • Brazil Election

    Are you Brazilian?
  • Veganism and ethics
    You get your whey protein from milk (from female goats right/ the same in the case of cows or whichever animals whey is available) So buying whey increases the demand for female animals. What happens to all the male ones that are inadvertently born in the process of trying to breed females for milk?Benj96

    Yes, I'm aware of the problem. It's just hard to get enough digestible protein from plants.
  • Veganism and ethics
    and in labs for nutrional value and correct portion of macronutrient, vitamins and minerals. Of course this research can be expedited by investment and positive public opinion.Benj96

    I think the main issue is protein. I get most of my protein from goat whey and peanut powder. I don't have any interest in the taste of meat.
  • Veganism and ethics
    And I don't see the difference here with eating artificial meat that has the same fat protein vitamin and mineral content as natural organic meat sources. The only difference is an animal didn't have to be slaughtered to obtain it.Benj96

    There's no such thing as that, is there?
  • What does "real" mean?

    You're a butthead, so we're even.
  • Ukraine Crisis

    I just wanna say: this is the outcome of playing hardball. Any sign of a lack of resolve on the part of NATO would have encouraged whistle britches over there to use tactical nukes.
  • Merging Pessimism Threads
    Deductive logic only operates on propositions. The propositions have to come from somewhere. If you follow a logical chain of propositions back to the beginning, you'll come to one that can't be generated by deductive logic.T Clark

    Sure, but much can be accomplished by using deductive reasoning on premises that are sufficiently verifiable. And so-called "hinge propositions" aren't usually a matter of personal taste. They emerge from your form: physically, psychologically, and culturally.

    Propositions can be generated by inductive logic. Following a standard scientific type process, you start with observations, use them to generate hypotheses, and then test those hypotheses against further observations.T Clark

    That's not inductive reasoning. Induction is like when you see the sun rise in the east every morning and conclude that the sun always rises in the east.

    Perhaps we should start a thread on induction. It's a fascinating topic. :smile:
  • Merging Pessimism Threads
    ..
    No one comes to believe things because of logic.T Clark

    That's actually not true. People vary in how much they trust logic. Some can march, one logical step at a time, to amazing effect.

    Others flop around uselessly, not to mention any names.
  • Merging Pessimism Threads

    The adventures of Spud Jr.
  • Merging Pessimism Threads

    There's a staple gun where I work that's huge and electric powered, and it makes a sound like a cannon going off when you press the lever. It makes me a little jittery, but then I remember what Kierkegaard said about the melancholy of knowing you're just another person, on another day, hearing the same cannon stapler that's been exploding over and over forever.

    Then I feel better.
  • Merging Pessimism Threads
    That's a little annoyingBaden

    Into every life, a little rain must fall.
  • Joe Biden (+General Biden/Harris Administration)
    Blnd faith is what makes the world go roundMerkwurdichliebe

    That's so true.
  • Merging Pessimism Threads
    Next time maybe we'll just ban schopenhauer1 instead of trying to be nice and just control his postings.Baden

    Sounds like you're getting annoyed with the situation.
  • Merging Pessimism Threads
    A lot of people here beat the same drum over and over. Doesn't mean they're evangelizing. They're probably just trying to work through something.

    We should have an "All Metaphysics' thread, an "All Leftist Bullshit" thread, etc.
  • Joe Biden (+General Biden/Harris Administration)
    However we have always had, and continue to have, the means to maintain and reinforce the damn.Merkwurdichliebe

    It's stronger if you put "God" in front of it.
  • What does "real" mean?
    The world is what is the case, which is a subset of the possibilities.Banno

    I think we frame our interactions with the world as if we're having a conversation with it.

    When I look for things, for instance, it's like I'm asking the world questions. When I find the answer, it's like the world answered me.

    A true proposition is a case where I've heard the world with fidelity. False ones are cases of mistakes or deceit, where someone is lying about what the world said.

    The unexpressed proposition signifies that the world has answers that no one has heard yet.
  • What does "real" mean?
    So you let alt-right racists ' coopting one of the oldest human hand gestures stop you from using an emoji?180 Proof

    Pretty much. You forge ahead your own way, buddy.
  • What does "real" mean?

    I don't use it anymore.
  • What does "real" mean?

    That's a white supremacist gesture.
  • What does "real" mean?
    What is the status of the apple when I pick it up and take a bite?T Clark

    It's an apple.
  • What does "real" mean?
    Applying that test, I can reject the idea that quantum mechanics undermines the idea of reality not just for subatomic particles, but also for apples and orangutans. And that is what set me off down this path.T Clark

    We don't know the status of matter that isn't being measured. If that fits your conception of reality, then you're good to go.
  • Ukraine Crisis


    This is a Brookings Inst. essay about the history of Russo-American relations.

    Republicans claimed that Putin was a bad actor, but didn't depict him as imperialistic. The only reason to suspect that he might become imperialistic would be that Russia has a long history of it.

    But also note that the essay doesn't say Putin felt overly threatened by NATO, in fact he defended the placement of a transit hub on Russian soil.

    So the tension we see now is a sign of the failure of Obama's "restart" of the relationship.
  • Ukraine Crisis
    Over time, you can probably find a few conflicting statements from Putin + team. (And a lot of bullshit.) Not generally reliable as such. Expect more if Putin is sticking around for another 14 yearsjorndoe

    Yep.
  • Ukraine Crisis

    Could be. When experts on Russia are a little confused by his statements and actions, I'm not going to put much weight on my own speculations. :grin:
  • What does "real" mean?
    So he's not real, because he doesn't believe the bartender is real.A Realist

    Jack does believe the bartender is real. He has an extended conversation with someone who isn't there. Happens all the time. :grin:
  • What does "real" mean?
    How do you know?A Realist

    Because there's no way he could be there. They're on top of a mountain in a Colorado winter snow storm.

    Jack is hallucinating.
  • What does "real" mean?
    Then he's real.A Realist

    He's not, though.
  • What does "real" mean?
    Real is what you believe to be real.A Realist

    But Jack Torrance thinks the bartender is real.
  • Ukraine Crisis

    Was he talking about measures that were taken to prepare for Iranian aggression?
  • Ukraine Crisis
    Yes, I'm sure the war in Georgia, which occurred in August, was a big reason at the NATO summit.Mikie

    Oh yeah. I guess that came later the same year.
  • Ukraine Crisis
    An imperialist threat from Russia was not one of them in 2008Mikie

    While he was invading Georgia? What kind of evidence were you looking for?