Re: Pure Reason [was something else]

William Ehrich wrote:
I remember from geometry class, which was really about proving
theorems, that rational logic deals with relationship between ideas
more than with the ideas themselves. Our proofs depended on a set of
axioms which could not be derived but had to be assumed arbitrarily.
A valid deduction about triangles would no longer hold on the surface
of a sphere -- not because of flawed reasoning but because the
argument depended on different axioms.

We have given up the mediaeval quest for 'Truth' through Pure Reason.

A rational system of pure reason cannot result in policy without an
external set of axioms or assumptions. Such a system, by itself, is
chaotic in that small changes in the underlying assumptions can cause
unexpected, even catastrophic changes in the outcome. This doesn't
have to be caused by 'flawed reasoning', just wrong assumptions
(although flawed reasoning is common enough).

Public policy must be guided by common sense, compassion, and what
Timothy Travis calls the Spirit. Else chaos.

This is an interesting debate.

However, I can't see why things like compassion, empathy, the well being of
individuals, care for the environement etc etc, can't be included in the
'starting assumptions'.

Nor can I see how including empathy, common sense, compassion makes the
process unreasoned or illogical, in fact, I think it makes a great
'crosscheck', so to speak. If the conclusion of a logical, rational process
is not also compassionate and consistant with 'common sense' then it would
strike me that either a) the underlying assumptions were
incorrect/incomplete or b) somewhere the logical process went wrong. I
would *not* conclude that the rational and logical approach itself was wrong
and should be replaced by 'feelings' or other sort of subjective
touchy-feely irrational system.

Yowie


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Relevant Pages

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