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From: aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Free will - some new reading.. (digression)
Message-ID: <2197@pucc-h>
Date: Thu, 15-Aug-85 04:07:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.2197
Posted: Thu Aug 15 04:07:29 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Aug-85 16:20:23 EDT
References: <1495@pyuxd.UUCP>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Lines: 36

From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen)

> ....  I wanted to hear precisely what the recommender learned
> from the book, in his own words, NOT the final conclusion as quoted from
> the book, but the reasoning (as understood [??] by the reader) that got us
> there.  If that is not present, or available, I fear the judgment would be
> against such a recommendation.  And I certainly don't expect you, Jeff
> Sargent, to understand, based on what I have seen of how you choose beliefs,
> apparently seeing no need for substantiation of the reasoning leading to a
> conclusion.  Given the large number of available books in the world, one must
> use such substantiation as a valid means of filtering out (at least as a
> start) the worthwhile from the worthless.

Rich, it's odd to see you descending to ad hominem attacks when you have so
often flamed against them.  And haven't you ever noticed that there are two
ways of acquiring knowledge or ideas?  One of them is the one you like, i.e.
either empirically verifying something or starting from known facts and
reasoning to a conclusion.  But it is also possible for something to *occur*
to someone without going through all this process without what that which
occurs to the person being incompatible with reason -- just not reached by
reason.  It saddens me to see you limit yourself to only a fraction of the
good and the knowledge you could have!  "There are more things in heaven and
earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

It is only your position of faith that laboratory substantiation is utterly
required for something to be true or worthwhile.  As I've said before, I also
believe in substantiation in the "laboratory of life" -- i.e. try something,
and if it works -- if it does what it's claimed to do -- stay with it.  A
relationship with Christ does what it's claimed to do:  transform a person
in the direction of being like Christ; not necessarily quickly or easily,
but none the less truly.

-- 
-- Jeff Sargent
{decvax|harpo|ihnp4|inuxc|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h!aeq
Faith is admitting that you ain't God.