Meditations

[Oleander]

What exactly is the stereotype of the U.S.? The only foreign person's opinion on it that I've heard was from a person who's literally crazy so I don't think that counts.

[Redafro]

There are two point I want to make. One: you are applying consistency beyond what we have reason to believe it existed. Logic, physics and math are all things that are inherent to this universe, not necessarily anything outside of it, before it or even after it. Two: if you're stuck with an unknowable answer then why demand that it should be known? Is there something inherently wrong about "we don't know?".

Wait, what exactly are you trying to say? It almost sounds like you are saying that it is better to say "we don't know" then to theorize what might be. I'm fine with saying "we don't know." We don't know! There I said it! XD But I'm not ok with just leaving it there. That frankly seems like giving up, or like not perusing knowledge. I used the term consistency instead of logic, physics and math for a reason: to indicate laws of reality without implying our laws necessarily. Are you saying you are in the "inconsistency" camp, and figure the universe just popped into existence without cause, or are you just not interested?

If we CAN be so biased by our culture as to believe things that are not true, that would apply to all beliefs, not just religious ones. .

I would agree to that.

Interesting... so some or all of the findings of the scientific process may be a completely false cultural construction resulting from our bias? Granted, I agree, it could be so, but I find it unlikely.

[WorldisQuiet5256]

Sorry, it Cowboy, heard it as crazy as in doing something that is dangerous, like in those WW2 Movies, they keep calling Americans Cowboys.

[Anteroinen]

What exactly is the stereotype of the U.S.? The only foreign person's opinion on it that I've heard was from a person who's literally crazy so I don't think that counts.

Well, the general stereotype here is that people from USA are fat, a bit dense and very loud. Perhaps wearing Hawaii shirts. You know, that sort of thing.

Wait, what exactly are you trying to say? It almost sounds like you are saying that it is better to say "we don't know" then to theorize what might be. I'm fine with saying "we don't know." We don't know! There I said it! XD But I'm not ok with just leaving it there. That frankly seems like giving up, or like not perusing knowledge.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't theorize, but since we have no evidence as of yet, we can't come to a conclusion.

EDIT:

I used the term consistency instead of logic, physics and math for a reason: to indicate laws of reality without implying our laws necessarily. Are you saying you are in the "inconsistency" camp, and figure the universe just popped into existence without cause, or are you just not interested?

Well, I'm really of no particular opinion, because I frankly know very little about this stuff. I'd intuitively say there was some sort of a cause, but there is no reason to assume that either, since some sort of "panuniversal physics" might well allow peculiarities way beyond our wildest imagination. Sort of like how if you take a high enough number set you start losing properties that seem to be very intrinsic to algebra (not that I'm an expert or anything, but eventually xy=yx doesn't apply, for instance).

If we CAN be so biased by our culture as to believe things that are not true, that would apply to all beliefs, not just religious ones. .

I would agree to that.

Interesting... so some or all of the findings of the scientific process may be a completely false cultural construction resulting from our bias? Granted, I agree, it could be so, but I find it unlikely.

Science is not a belief.

[Redafro]

I'm not sure we can be sure of that. Science always begins with beliefs, and science is something we believe, ie, it doesn't exist outside of our brains.

Well, the general stereotype here is that people from USA are fat, a bit dense and very loud. Perhaps wearing Hawaii shirts. You know, that sort of thing.

Ha! Well, 1 out of 3 for me. XD Although I think I do have one or two shirts that could be called Hawaiian in a pinch. XD

[The Kakama]

Science always begins with beliefs, and science is something we believe, ie, it doesn't exist outside of our brains.

Partly true,science is the STUDY of natural phenomena,not the TRUTH about it.
BUT,even if is a belief,it is still very close to the truth,often close enough to be classified as fact.

[The Abacus]

Science is not a belief.

An Expansion on the Following:

Science always begins with beliefs, and science is something we believe, ie, it doesn't exist outside of our brains.

There is no way of knowing what is real and what isn't. We can only assume that what we see, hear, feel and smell is real. The only thing we are certain of existence is our thoughts and our ability to think. Everything else is an assumption (or belief). I like to think of beliefs in two levels (the first builds upon the second):
1. Belief in what we sense is real
2. Belief in a diety/god
Science is a belief, but doesn't need to always be regarded as one (we don't often use it in such a context).

Partly true,science is the STUDY of natural phenomena,not the TRUTH about it.

Good point, but I don't see how that only makes partly true. The fact that we can't be sure of its truth makes a belief. Does it not?

BUT,even if is a belief,it is still very close to the truth,often close enough to be classified as fact.

But, if we can't be sure of anything outside our own heads how can it be close enough to consider a fact. We assume that everything we sense is real. Everything else is built upon that basic and fundamental assumption.

[The Kakama]

But, if we can't be sure of anything outside our own heads how can it be close enough to consider a fact. We assume that everything we sense is real. Everything else is built upon that basic and fundamental assumption.

So,everything outside our heads could be fake?

[The Abacus]

We have no way of knowing that its real. We either trust our senses that we aren't making our experiences up or we don't. Most people choose the earlier (even though they probably don't know it).

(In case of misunderstandings: this is merely an observation. I am Christian and do not believe that we are all making up our experiences in our heads)

[The Kakama]

This is starting to become like the dream existential arguments.
Or,why it's dangerous to assume everything is an assumption.