a reply to:
AfterInfinity
Oh, so SCIENCE is to thank for the fact that we have gravity. I see.
Tell me, which of these philosophies do you think that the presence of gravity is most likely to support?
1. Realism. This philosophy holds that the fundamental elements of reality are independent of consciousness – this is the doctrine of strong
objectivity. A tree in the forest is real, even when it is not being perceived; the moon continues in its space-time orbit, even when nobody is
looking; and so forth. The doctrine of strong objectivity is further augmented by another doctrine – causal determinism. There are many different
subphilosophies within this basic realist view, and I will only mention two that are useful in the discussion of quantum philosophy:
2. material realism, which considers matter to be the only fundamental reality; there is only one order of reality, matter (and its extensions,
energy, and fields), according to this view. All else, including consciousness, are epiphenomena and are ultimately reducible to matter. Thus
materialism comes hand in hand with epiphenomenalism and reductionism. Furthermore, since the only reality is that defined by space-time, the doctrine
of locality is held fundamental.
3. nonphysical realism, which permits orders of reality other than matter, although we may directly experience only the material order. Bohm’s idea
of implicate and explicate order is an example of nonphysical realism.(9) Since there is more than one order of reality, locality is no longer
essential; neither are epiphenomenalism and reductionism.
4. Idealism. This philosophy holds that the fundamental elements of reality must include the mind. Within this broad category I will mention two
subdivisions that will be important for our discussion:
5. dualism(or pluralism), which considers mind and body to be separate worlds both having primary importance. This philosophy hardly needs further
elaboration.
6. monistic idealism, which considers consciousness to be the primary reality. The world of matter is considered to be determined by consciousness as
is the subtle world of mental phenomena, such as thought. Besides the material and the subtle (which together form the immanent reality or the world
of appearance), idealism posits a transcendent archetypal or ideal realm as the “source” of the lower immanent worlds of appearance of the
material and the subtle. However, monistic idealism is fundamentally a monistic philosophy; any subdivisions such as the three orders above are in
consciousness – thus, ultimately, consciousness is the only reality.
edit on 041TuesdayuAmerica/ChicagoJuluTuesdayAmerica/Chicago by BlueMule because: (no reason given)