| Re: Empirical Beliefs & Hypothesis; Do they terminate in some beliefs that need no further justification, go on infinitely - on belief being justified by other that then need justification, or circle back upon itself in some way - constituting a sort o |
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Group: alt.philosophy · Group Profile
Author: John LarkinJohn Larkin Date: Aug 22, 2008 08:57
On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:13:14 -0500, Publius
nospam.comcast.net> wrote:
>John Larkin highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote in
>news:214sa4h2t11ubunosj3t7g24ujo3f7g6i1@4ax.com:
>>>>The argument goes astray with #4. If I perceive a red apple, then I
>>>believe the apple perceived is red. That belief is not a conclusion
>>>derived from any premises, but from the percept itself. Empirical
>>>beliefs are self- justifying; I cannot doubt that I am perceiving
>>>something red in the shape of an apple. I may well have doubts about
>>>what causes that percept, but I cannot doubt that I have it. What may
>>>be causing it is another question.
>>
>> What causes "red" is the predominant wavelength of the light that
>> bounces off the apple. That can be measured and quantified, if there's
>> any doubt.
>>
>> There's nothing subjective about "red."
>
>What is subjective is the impression experienced by the observer when
>perceiving light of that wavelength.
You can't know that, and it can't be tested, so why worry about it?
Eyeball spectral response, color recognition, and color blindness can
be simulated and quantified.
>
>> You'll never get anything done if you keep getting tangled up in
>> fuzziness.
>
>You also won't get much done if you blindly adopt gratuitous assumptions.
I get a lot done, partly by being pragmatic about reality.
John
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