Since I recently wrote on how several things (logic, truth, and space) exist in the absence of any matter and minds, I will use a related example. Say I were to show someone a picture that is entirely black, and he or she tells me that there is "nothing" in the picture. Is this accurate? Not at all, since there is still space, logic, etc. No objects is not the same as nothing. Misunderstanding of this matter can lead to false statements about reality prior to the Big Bang irrespective of whether or not God exists.
Another example is the way that people sometimes speak as if the brain is somehow separate from the body. So many times I have heard people distinguish brains from bodies, as if brains were not merely parts of bodies [1]! One is just a component of the other. This kind of imprecise or inaccurate language can lead to entirely gratuitous confusion about the distinction between consciousness, the brain, and other body parts. The confusion could be avoided if people merely used language precisely and consistently.
At this point in my life, I find it easy to speak concisely and specifically the vast majority of the time. This is because I've practiced doing so for a long time. Even if clarity of speech is not a normal part of someone's lifestyle, it is not as if it is impossible to include it. When most people do not include it in their lives the public sphere becomes contaminated with ideological murkiness--or at least murkiness of communication when it comes to ideas, even if not concerning the ideas themselves.
[1]. https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-language-of-substance-dualism.html
No comments:
Post a Comment