Let’s see if we can come up with some general statements that most people would agree to.
1. The universe et.al exists.
2. Life is part of that universe.
3. Man is part of that universe.
4. Man is a sentient life form.
5. As other forms of life, man has certain characteristics.
6. One of man’s characteristics is that he is a reasoning life form.
7. Another of man’s characteristics is that he is a social animal and interacting with other people is a necessary part of his existence.
8.
Can we get anything out of these statements? A necessary part of a fundamental set of statements is that they are complete and consistent. That is, can we generate all that we want from them and are none of them contradictory. These are probably not but let’s work with them for a while. — George Fisher
I for one love a set of well-defined and descriptive criterion one can agree or unpack numerically!
1.) What is the universe? The thing we see when we go outside at night and look up, invoking the vastness of the stars and other planetary heavenly bodies, or that which is inside ourselves that lets us acknowledge the former?
2.) What is life? Being able to breath, and have said breaths and various Co2/oxygen levels recorded by scientific instrument?
3.) What is man? Why is a monkey not the true man, perhaps we performed some sort of sorcery on the original human and turned him into monkey while doing the same to change our own appearance?
Furthermore, if "that universe" is simply that which is all encompassing by the senses it quickly loses it's literal physical definition and becomes all that simply is or can ever be, here or not..
4.) Assuming you and I, and those traditionally regarded as human are "man", sentient of what? Perhaps we are sentient to that which really matters not and other beings, that we call ghosts are the true sentient beings, only visiting us ever so seldom and by accident.
5.) If you are a man who posted this particular stipulation, redundancy and purposelessness is in fact one of your certain characteristics. Though that only would apply to you.
6.) Reasonability is subjective. It is reasonable for a drunk mentally ill homeless man to jump in front of a train, or attempt to connect a banana to a wall socket. Perhaps you mean, relatively, long term provable, productive reasoning that creates efficiency in what is required? Required by whom?
7.) I've left my baby alone for a few minutes without it randomly bursting into flames so no, social interaction is not "Required" for existence.
8.) You can squeeze blood out of a penny, apparently. Though I haven't had any luck.
--
Ooh, what a delightful thread! Do continue, OP.
:yum: