Question 6: Are the five sense all there is to it?

Mr. Pessimistic

In writing about modernization in the Western World, Armstrong points out that some scientists and scholars came to embrace the principle that "the only information upon which we could safely rely came from our five senses," and "anything else was pure fantasy". In their view, she writes, "[p]hilosophy, metaphysics, theology, art, imagination, mysticism, and mythology were all dismissed as irrelevant and superstitious because they could not be verified empirically."

Does your own experience of life prompt you to agree or disagree with this point?

Mr. P.

Edited by: Chris OConnor at: 10/30/05 10:18 pm

Mr. Pessimistic

So this IS where Dissident gets much of his world view!!! I hate to say it...but it is a shame he decided to leave during this particular discussion.

I believe that science, policy and any facet of existence that will directly effect the population as a whole should be decided and implemented solely on empirical evidence and a pragmatic, secular POV.

However, I do not discount art, philosophy, imagination and mythology, as mentioned in this question, as irrelevant to our existence and our understanding of it all.

We need to separate these two paradigms and realize that one really has no business meddeling in the affairs of the other.

Mr. P.

Jeremy1952

A feeling is a real feeling, be it awe, fear, love, or lust. It may or may not coincide with other real things. There is no need to disdain art for rationality; philosophy I'm not too sure about; theology is the most useless excercise ever invented by humankind. When it comes to practical decisions, though, evidence is the way to go.

If you make yourself really small, you can externalize virtually everything. Daniel Dennett, 1984

Mr. Pessimistic

Nothing that has evolved with us and made us survive to the point we are at is 'useless', IMHO. Theology grew from simple faith and the misinterpretation of the world around our ancestors. It helped us along. It was a 'miss', but a 'miss' that helped our forebears cope and survive.

It is time to let it go, now that we have a better understanding of our universe and realize that it was just a pipe dream. I think we are better than that now.

Mr. P.

The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.

I came to get down, I came to get down. So get out ya seat and jump around - House of Pain

HEY! Is that a ball in your court? - Mr. P

I came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper

Swamy Maximus

What about the intellect!!!

Leibniz was right... about that!

Keith and Company

Just as a point of interest, somewhere i saved a list of the 19 senses humans have, to some degree (some better than others).

SENSE -- TYPE OF INPUT
Sight -- Visible Light
Hearing -- Vibrations in the Ear
Touch -- Tactile Contact
Taste -- Chemical Molecular
Smell -- Olfactory Molecular
Balance -- Kinaesthetic Geotropic
Vestibular -- Repetitious Movement
Temperature -- Molecular Action
Pain -- Nociception
Eidetic Imagery -- Neuroelectrical Image Retention
Magnetic -- Ferromagnetic Orientation
Infrared -- Long Electromagnetic Waves
Ultraviolet -- Short Electromagnetic Waves
Ionic -- Airborne Ionic Charge
Vomeronasal -- Pheromonic Sensing
Proximal -- Physical Closeness
Electrical -- Surface Charge
Barometric -- Atmospheric Pressure
Geogravimetric -- Sensing Mass Differences

I took issue with critics of early astronomers that said that the moons of a distant planet could not have any effect on human spirituality, therefore they don't exist. It's one thing to say that art, love, or other subjective things cannot be empirically measured, therefore they can't be used. It's another to say that they don't exist.

For example, if every human were born with an LED display of the strength and object of their affection, child placement issues would be simplified.
Daddy loves Timmy with a reading of 8 heartjoules, while Mommy loves Timmy with a reading of 12 megaheartjoules. Well, not simplified, maybe. They'd bitch about whether womanlove was on the same scale as manlove...and there's still the question about who's BEST for the boy... never mind.

But anyway, there's no rational way to completely discount the effects of emotions, even if we can't measure them. The number of of pushups i did in boot camp when i was alone was drastically less than what i did for the final physical exam, when the rest of the guys were cheering me on.

Keith’s Place


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