Chapter 7




From David Quinn

Mon Jan 05, 2004 1:27 pm:



Father Doulatov wrote:

Quote:

DQ: - That the simulation will necessarilly be too basic and primitive to fool us. In other words, you are ignoring the possibility, say, that the simulation has been created by highly-advanced beings who have ironed out all the inconsistencies over millions of years.

- That we are conscious and intelligent enough to perceive any inconsistencies that may exist. In other words, you are ignoring the possibility that inconsistencies may exist in the world and yet be be too obscure or too fine to be observed by us.

FD: David, with all due respect, this is becoming ridiculous. I have patiently entertained all your queries, no matter how ridiculous, with a rigorous proof that admits no assumptions. Makes me wonder whether a rigorous proof means anything to you.

With respect to you first inquiry, I have explained the origin of inconsistencies in sense-perceived reality. We are dealing with a map from reality onto our senses (R->P). Since P is ontologically incomplete, i.e. there are objects in R that do not exist in P, but P is still coherent, it must be the case that more than one object in R is mapped or projected onto the exact same object in P.


Why must it be the case? Why should R (reality beyond the mind) even exist in the first place? And if it does exist, why should there be any objects in R that resemble, or have any connection to, the objects in P (perceived reality)? Once again, we have all these hidden assumptions . . . . . . .


Quote:

This is called an ontological inconsistency of the type A exists and A does not exist. For example, imagine you have to map a flat surface onto a sphere. Try doing this at home, give yourself a little sense of what it means to live in reality. A sphere contains an existence which the surface does not contain, namely curvature. Thus, no matter how hard you try to make it "fit", there will always be places where it won't align and form wrinkles. These are, in essence, the inconsistencies that I am referring to. It makes no difference who the designer of the simulation is. Even God would be unable to make the sphere fit perfectly onto a flat plane.


And how have you established that the sphere isn't an illusion, one that is insignificant from the larger perspective? I have yet to see this from you.

Regardless of whether there are perceived inconsistencies or not, the possibility that the entire world that we experience through the senses is a simulation of some kind continues to exist. The reason I keep bringing this point up is to counter the irrational belief that science can uncover absolute principles. I would like to see you deal with this point in a simple, straightforward manner without using any symbols or academic jargon. Can you do it?


Quote:

DQ: What you're doing, Sergei, is treating a blind assumption made by scientists as though it were a bedrock truth - which, again, is essentially no different to what a fundamentalist Christian does.

FD: I have addressed and can address every single "what if" from a unified standpoint of rigorous proof.


The "rigorous proofs" you have given have been evasions. Instead of discussing these matters with me in a simple, straightforward manner, like a human being, you're continually escaping into a world of pre-packaged scripts and academic wonderlands. It's quite bizarre.


Quote:

I am standing on the shoulders of giants who have made scientific progress possible throughout human history, which in the long run is the only thing responsible for improvement of man's condition.


Your appeal to authority is noted, Father Doulatov.


Quote:

Anything that does not have to do with science is a waste of time with respect to our continued survival and prosperity.


Ah, I see.


Quote:

Either go back to school, learn a few things and then we can continue this discussion or stop wasting wasting my time and detracting me from this mission with your idle banter.


No problem, Sergei. Go back to counting angels on pinheads. You obviously think it's important. I shan't hold you up any further.





From David Quinn

Mon Jan 05, 2004 1:44 pm:



Andrew Beckwith wrote:

Quote:

DQ: I've said this many times already, but I do not "deny empirical knowledge altogether". I am merely putting it in its proper place.

AB: Please do not lie. You denied its importance all together.


It has minimal importance as far as comprehending Ultimate Truth is concerned, yes. But science is obviously important when it comes to creating empirical models, making predictions, manipulating Nature for our material gain, etc.


Quote:

DQ: Now it is normal scientific practice to treat these observed inconsistencies as products of the current limitations of science, and not as part of the fabric of the world itself. Scientists naturally believe these inconsistencies will disappear when they acquire more observational data and further refine their theories. But there is no real certainty this will automatically happen. It may turn out that some of the the observed inconsistencies will always remain, that they really are part of the world. Who knows?

AB: You just blew off casuality. Beautiful, David. I KNEW you had it in you to do this!


I wouldn't get too excited. In what way have I blown off causality? Please provide some reasoning.

If some devious beings causally create a simulated world which contains inconsistencies, how does that deny causality?


Quote:

DQ: What you're doing, Sergei, is treating a blind assumption made by scientists as though it were a bedrock truth - which, again, is essentially no different to what a fundamentalist Christian does.

AB:
http://www.iscid.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000397
Read it if you have the guts, David. I doubt you do.


I read it, but didn't see anything that applied to the discussion we are having here. Which part are you refering to exactly?


Quote:

Please don't cry too hard if you have your assumptions cave in on you some day in the near future with you feeling very, very foolish after you denied what was obvious to the rest of the NPU board. Saying it ( what you dislike so much) is not possibly true will not make the issue go away.


I have no idea what you are talking about. Does anyone speak English around here?





From Andrew Beckwith

Mon Jan 05, 2004 3:04 pm:


Quote:

It has minimal importance as far as comprehending Ultimate Truth is concerned, yes. But science is obviously important when it comes to creating empirical models, making predictions, manipulating Nature for our material gain, etc.


Russell made a very good point which you should have talked about with him that symmetry issues and conservation laws are the underpinnings of much of what is relevant to physical imputs into key philosophical issues. In a sense they could form a hierarchy leading to an 'ultimate truth' or a philosophy construction of ideas leading to something approximating it.

However, without that bridge what you are doing is navel gazing. Since you navel gaze, I say you have blown off casuality. Try to repair that omission.

Quote:

I have no idea what you are talking about. Does anyone speak English around here?


We can reason coherently. You cannot. Next question?

And, now for a question for you, David. Why does your genius site reek of such hate for women ? It's palatable. And, it stinks. In my eyes you have taken the worst features of Greek philosophy while ignoring the spirit of open inquiry which made Athens during Pericles the worlds leader in logic.

Andrew Beckwith, PhD





From David Quinn

Mon Jan 05, 2004 7:34 pm:


Andrew Beckwith wrote:

Quote:

Russell made a very good point which you should have talked about with him that symmetry issues and conservation laws are the underpinnings of much of what is relevant to physical imputs into key philosophical issues. In a sense they could form a hierarchy leading to an 'ultimate truth' or a philosophy construction of ideas leading to something approximating it.


I suppose, perhaps, it could be thought, especially with the benefit of hindsight, that the symmetry issues and conservation laws may well approximate a certain hierarchy leading to a relatively contingent version of "ultimate truth, or at least something which resembles it, depending on what terms are agreed upon by the scientific community, or at least certain elements of it. But I like what Sir Humphery Appleby had to say on the matter, when he said:

I remember the argument to the effect that, in view of the somewhat
nebulous and inexplicit nature of your remit, and the arguably marginal
and peripheral nature of your influence on the central deliberations and
decisions within the political process, there could be a case for
restructuring their action priorities in such a way as to eliminate your
liquidation from their immediate agenda.

Pretty much sums it up, I would have thought.



Quote:

And, now for a question for you, David. Why does your genius site reek of such hate for women ? It's palatable.


There is no hatred for women on the Genius site, at least not from me. Where is your evidence or reasoning for this? I do think that women are significantly inferior to men when it comes to the higher activities of life, such as spirituality and philosophy, and even art and science. But in saying this, I am simply expressing the truth. There's no hatred involved.





From Kitten

Mon Jan 05, 2004 7:37 pm:


"I do think that women are significantly inferior to men when it comes to the higher activities of life, such as spirituality and philosophy, and even art and science."
Did you really say that? I'm not dreaming this...you said that you have respect for women, and no hate of them...then said that? David, I'm tired of beating around the bush...I'm coming right out and saying exactly what most who have read your posts are thinking:
You're a moron.
Get the fuck off our site.





From Andrew Beckwith

Mon Jan 05, 2004 8:07 pm:


Quote:

I suppose, perhaps, it could be thought, especially with the benefit of hindsight, that the symmetry issues and conservation laws may well approximate a certain hierarchy leading to a relatively contingent version of "ultimate truth, or at least something which resembles it, depending on what terms are agreed upon by the scientific community, or at least certain elements of it. But I like what Sir Humphery Appleby had to say on the matter, when he said:

I remember the argument to the effect that, in view of the somewhat
nebulous and inexplicit nature of your remit, and the arguably marginal
and peripheral nature of your influence on the central deliberations and
decisions within the political process, there could be a case for
restructuring their action priorities in such a way as to eliminate your
liquidation from their immediate agenda.


You BSed me both ways, David. Now let me tell you what you just did. You tried to conn a person who has studied symbolic logic all his life. You tried to back track and then you took out of context Appeleby in order to save face with your cult.

You are a fraud. And, I am not amused. I have treated you with kit gloves , David, and I will take them off from now on and point out EVERY absurdity you put out. From now on I will pin every nonsensical spew you put out and the consequences be DAMNED for your reputation with that cult of yours.

Have a nice day. I hope you realize what you just did to yourself.

Andrew Beckwith, PhD





From David Quinn

Mon Jan 05, 2004 8:30 pm


Kitten wrote:

Quote:

DQ: I do think that women are significantly inferior to men when it comes to the higher activities of life, such as spirituality and philosophy, and even art and science."

Kitten: Did you really say that? I'm not dreaming this...you said that you have respect for women, and no hate of them...then said that?


I also think dogs are inferior to men when it comes to higher activities, but it doesn't mean I hate them.

The scientific community also recognizes that genius is primarily the province of the male. A couple of years ago, the long-standing editor of Nature magazine (I can't recall his name, Sir somebody or other) was asked to list what he thought was the top 50 scientists of the 20th century, as determined by the quality and magnitute of their achievements. His list naturally included the names of Einstein, Bohr, Feynman, Crick, etc, but interestingly, it also included no women. He couldn't even find a token female to slip in.


Quote:

David, I'm tired of beating around the bush...I'm coming right out and saying exactly what most who have read your posts are thinking:
You're a moron.
Get the fuck off our site.


Well, at least you're speaking plain simple English. That's something.

I can understand why you would get upset at my remarks, Kitten, but I do hope that the males on this forum, at least, will refrain from allowing their emotions to swamp their thought-processes. But I won't be holding my breath.





From Andrew Beckwith

Mon Jan 05, 2004 8:46 pm:


Quote:

I also think dogs are inferior to men when it comes to higher activities, but it doesn't mean I hate them.

David,
One last time. I am watching you in this, and I will point out your inconsistencies.

It would be better for you if you leave quietly. You cannot be this thick to maintain face for your cult.



Quote:

I can understand why you would get upset at my remarks, Kristy, but I do hope that the males on this forum, at least, will refrain from allowing their emotions to swamp their thought-processes. But I won't be holding my breath.


Oh, who is losing their cool here ? Do you wish for me to point out what you did to yourself EARLIER ?



Quote:

I suppose, perhaps, it could be thought, especially with the benefit of hindsight, that the symmetry issues and conservation laws may well approximate a certain hierarchy leading to a relatively contingent version of "ultimate truth, or at least something which resembles it, depending on what terms are agreed upon by the scientific community, or at least certain elements of it. But I like what Sir Humphery Appleby had to say on the matter, when he said:

I remember the argument to the effect that, in view of the somewhat
nebulous and inexplicit nature of your remit, and the arguably marginal
and peripheral nature of your influence on the central deliberations and
decisions within the political process, there could be a case for
restructuring their action priorities in such a way as to eliminate your
liquidation from their immediate agenda.


Having it both ways to save face in NPU by a token back track for being wrong and then citing a not applicable quote by Appleby to save face for the back tracking in front of your cult, David ? Cute.

Really, please step on your **** again, David. I love it when you do exactly what you accuse OTHERS of doing.





From Kitten

Mon Jan 05, 2004 8:57 pm:


Oh this was not purely emotion, believe me…you would not like to see me being an illogical, purely emotional, female. I was going easy on you in the post in politics…and purely blunt here. David, science was once a very male dominated field, much like everything else, until recently. All thanks to something called the woman’s rights movement, maybe you should look that up. You compared women to dogs? I am sorry, but as a cognitive science student I can here say with confidence that a woman has many more neurological connections and synapses than a dog. And many women, it would seem, have infinitely more than you. If you take a step back and read what I posted for once, (something I’ve realized that you’re not keen on doing referring to my last message here on Nirvana), I never said you hate women. In fact, what I posted was the complete opposite to that: you said you had NO hate of women. Very few women have entered into the field of science until recently; truthfully I do not believe a goddamn word your saying about this editor who has no name. Rosalyn Sussman, Christiane Nusslein-Volhard, Marie Curie, Ada Byron Lovelace, Maud Menton, Sophie Germain, Florence Allen, Maria Goeppert Mayer, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Gertrude Elion …and you’re telling me that none of these made it onto this list of great mathematic and scientific minds of the twentieth century? You’re kidding me right? Not one? What kind of a list was this again? Oh right, you don’t remember who wrote it. *nods*

Yes, I did speak plain and simple English *smiles* It’s the only kind you can understand.
Then again, maybe you didn’t, as you read it and posted again…*shakes her head*





From David Quinn

Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:07 pm:



Andrew Beckwith, PHD, wrote:

Quote:

You BSed me both ways, David. Now let me tell you what you just did. You tried to conn a person who has studied symbolic logic all his life. You tried to back track and then you took out of context Appeleby in order to save face with your cult.



I don't believe that I took Appleby's remarks entirely out of context, although it may well have turned out that way had I not quoted his remarks in italics. As it stands, however, it is my contention that the remarks were only 4, or possibly 5% out of context, which, as I'm sure you will agree, falls within the acceptable range of contextual variation, as described by Poe and Johnson in their wonderfully crisp paper, The Inter-logical Dynamcis of Contextual Variation as Applied to Statements of Empirical Possibility. But consider what Appleby had to say on another subject:

The identity of the Official whose alleged responsibility for this hypothetical oversight has been the subject of recent discussion, is NOT shrouded in quite such impenetrable obscurity as certain previous disclosures may have led you to assume, but not to put too fine a point on it, the individual in question is, it may surprise you to learn, one whom you present interlocutor is in the habit of defining by means of the perpendicular pronoun.

You can't say that I quoted him our of context here, surely.





From Andrew Beckwith

Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:09 pm:


Now I will be to the point. B.S. Pure and simple. Sorry, David.







From Kitten

Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:11 pm:


*cracks up laughing* *falls to her knees pointing at Quinn* *giggles hysterically* *takes a deep breath, calms down, and stands up* He told you Quinn! And he won't stop pointing out your flaws, which appear in EVERY post! *heh*





From analog57

Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:26 pm:



David Quinn wrote:

I remember the argument to the effect that, in view of the somewhat
nebulous and inexplicit nature of your remit, and the arguably marginal
and peripheral nature of your influence on the central deliberations and
decisions within the political process, there could be a case for
restructuring their action priorities in such a way as to eliminate your
liquidation from their immediate agenda.

Pretty much sums it up, I would have thought.


The categorical representation of a propositional conundrum, in which deductive invalidity depends on the modality of the truth conditionals concerning the prerequisite of the contingent assumption and consequent conclusion. The totally relevant content of the assumption and conclusion, definitely contains no modal terms. But, the modality attaches to the fact that the conditional assumption is quite possibly true, while the conditional conclusion is necessarily false.

Which leads us to an argumentational representation of a completely non-bogus modal formulation of the paradox of existence itself, and, the oh so elusive "ultimate truth" that DQ earnestly seeks but apparently has not the cereberal fortitude, or courage, to follow it to the ultimate conclusion of conclusions. Deductive invalidity is most excellently predicated on the categorical truth of the modal-term-laden assumption and the definitive categorical falsehood of the modal-term-laden conclusion. Hence, the assumption is, such, that if the antecedent of a contingently true conditional is false, then, the consequent of the conclusion can be true is itself quite simply and most elegantly ...true. Therefore, the conclusion that if it is not the case that the consequent of a contingently true conditional can be true, then it is not the case that the antecedent of the true conditional is false, is itself quite simply, false.

Meta-philosophical scruples notwithstanding, existence is, a paradox.

Alpha = Omega

It is the categorical formulation of the simultaneous, situational, instantiated contradiction, where deductive invalidity is the product of the utmost categorical truth of the assumption that if the antecedent of a true conditional is false, then the consequent of the conditional is true or false indifferently, and of the categorical falsehood of the conclusion consequently predicates that if it be not the case that the consequent of a true conditional is true or false indifferently, then, it is not the case that the antecedent of the conditional is false. To pronounce the consequent of a true conditional as being true or false indifferently is tantamount to saying modally that where the antecedent of a true conditional is notoriously false, then the consequent can, or could be, or is, possibly true or false. But it may be worthwhile to see that the definitive, simultaneous equality of both true, and false, can be formulated without explicitly including modal terms, which become the predicating operators, which, for the sake of showing that the consequent paradoxical conundrum is not straightforwardly resolvable by appealing to concrete philosophical scruples concerning the intensionality of predicated modal contexts.





From David Quinn

Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:31 pm:


Kitten wrote:

Quote:

What kind of a list was this again? Oh right, you don’t remember who wrote it. *nods*


I managed to track down his name:

Sir John Maddox, editor of Nature magazine from 1966-73 and 1980-95, was
recently asked to compile a list of the 10 greatest scientists of this
century - defined in terms of making the most significant breakthroughs or
the greatest impact upon their particular field of research. His pick:

1. Albert Einstein
2. Ernest Rutherford
3. Emil Fischer
4. Paul Dirac
5. Werner Heisenberg
6. Linus Pauling
7. Richard Feynman
8. Francis Crick
9. Hermann Muller
10. MacFarlane Burnet

He also provided a list of the next best 10 (ranked in no particular order):

Neils Bohr
Erwin Schrodinger
Charles Sherrington
Louis Leakey
Fred Hoyle
Steven Weinberg
Edwin Hubble
Wolfgang Pauli
Jules Poincare
Harry Hess

Note that there is not a single woman named in either of these two lists.

Other names that John Maddox considered, but eventually discarded, include:
Howard Florey, Robert Robertson, Peter Mitchell, Alan Turing, Otto Hahn,
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Robert Edwards, Stanley Cohen, Fred Sanger,
Kamerlingh Onnes, Arnold Sommerfield, Arthur Compton, San Goudsmit, George
Uhlenbeck, Carl Anderson, Ernest Chadwick, Hans Bethe, Eugene Wigner, and
Edward Teller. Again, there is not a single woman in this group.


--

In my view, this illustrates very clearly that while women are capable of being competent scientists and can even make some significant breakthroughs if they happen to be in the right place and the right time, they are unable to rise to the level of genius required to really expand the frontiers of science. And when you consider that scientific genius is actually a far weaker and more diluted form of genius than philosophical genius, it also illustrates just how far away women are from enlightenment.


Quote:

David, science was once a very male dominated field, much like everything else, until recently. All thanks to something called the woman’s rights movement, maybe you should look that up.


The list by Maddox indicates that the woman's movement has failed thus far to produce female scientific geniuses of any note, despite a century of women entering universities and becoming scientists.


Quote:

You compared women to dogs?


No, I compared my dispassionate attitude towards dogs with my dispassionate attitude towards women.





From David Quinn

Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:56 pm:


analog57 wrote:

Quote:

It is the categorical formulation of the simultaneous, situational, instantiated contradiction, where deductive invalidity is the product of the utmost categorical truth of the assumption that if the antecedent of a true conditional is false, then the consequent of the conditional is true or false indifferently, and of the categorical falsehood of the conclusion consequently predicates that if it be not the case that the consequent of a true conditional is true or false indifferently, then, it is not the case that the antecedent of the conditional is false. To pronounce the consequent of a true conditional as being true or false indifferently is tantamount to saying modally that where the antecedent of a true conditional is notoriously false, then the consequent can, or could be, or is, possibly true or false. But it may be worthwhile to see that the definitive, simultaneous equality of both true, and false, can be formulated without explicitly including modal terms, which become the predicating operators, which, for the sake of showing that the consequent paradoxical conundrum is not straightforwardly resolvable by appealing to concrete philosophical scruples concerning the intensionality of predicated modal contexts.


I couldn't agree more. Very well put.





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End of Chapter 7