On Thu, 25 Jun 1998, Paul Bains wrote:
> Dr Doom is as 'objective' as tectonic plate drift (they are objects of
> cognition). The difference is that Dr Doom may not also correspond to a
> prejacent physical environment (the mind-independent, being the paradigm
> sense of reality in trad. phil).
>
> The catch is that the distinction btwn objects that are also 'things' and
> objects which aren't, is made thru experience wherein we distinguish what is
> mind-indep. and what isn't.
Well ... when (un)leash's schizophrenics proclaim that Dr. Doom is real,
do they mean that Dr. Doom has real effects or that Dr. Doom is, at least
somehow or other, mind-independent? Maybe. Probably not. More likely
they mean that, contrary to popular belief, Dr. Doom is not a fictional
character but a flesh-and-blood animal like you and me.
Which isn't to say that we might not find their saying it interesting
anyway--one can always draw one's own conclusions from what another says
in any event--or that we might not be glad rather than scandalized that
there are people around saying things like that. But that's something
different from saying that schizophrenics are right when they say that Dr.
Doom is real. Isn't it?
Matthew
----Matthew A. King------Department of Philosophy------McMaster University----
"The border is often narrow between a permanent temptation to commit
suicide and the birth of a certain form of political consciousness."
-----------------------------(Michel Foucault)--------------------------------
> Dr Doom is as 'objective' as tectonic plate drift (they are objects of
> cognition). The difference is that Dr Doom may not also correspond to a
> prejacent physical environment (the mind-independent, being the paradigm
> sense of reality in trad. phil).
>
> The catch is that the distinction btwn objects that are also 'things' and
> objects which aren't, is made thru experience wherein we distinguish what is
> mind-indep. and what isn't.
Well ... when (un)leash's schizophrenics proclaim that Dr. Doom is real,
do they mean that Dr. Doom has real effects or that Dr. Doom is, at least
somehow or other, mind-independent? Maybe. Probably not. More likely
they mean that, contrary to popular belief, Dr. Doom is not a fictional
character but a flesh-and-blood animal like you and me.
Which isn't to say that we might not find their saying it interesting
anyway--one can always draw one's own conclusions from what another says
in any event--or that we might not be glad rather than scandalized that
there are people around saying things like that. But that's something
different from saying that schizophrenics are right when they say that Dr.
Doom is real. Isn't it?
Matthew
----Matthew A. King------Department of Philosophy------McMaster University----
"The border is often narrow between a permanent temptation to commit
suicide and the birth of a certain form of political consciousness."
-----------------------------(Michel Foucault)--------------------------------