[MD] Probability

[Case]

>> [Case]
>> If you mean “Certain beyond a reasonable doubt,” then I am certain that
>> nothing is certain in any “Absolute” sense.

[Platt]
> Again you contradict yourself. Nothing is certain, but you are certain of
> that.
> Very strange.

[Case]
The statement above is not even paradoxical. I am certain beyond a
reasonable doubt that nothing is absolutely certain. This refers to too
kind of certainty.

[Platt]
>
> I did. Birth and death. Then Gene wondered if he was born.

[Case]
I ignored response since it did not appeared to have been very well
thought out.

>[Case]
>> If you have for example solved the
>> “Clever Demons” problem or the “Brain in a Vat” problem, I would love to
>> hear your solutions.

[Platt]
> Sounds like a couple of fictional problems to me. But I'm game. What are
> those problems?

[Case]
These are fairly well defined problems in Philosophy. You might try
Googleing them. The best fictional example of the brain in a vat problem
would be the Matrix. But a simlar example comes up in evolutionary theory
in the case of those who hold to the idea that wen God created the earth
he included fossiles to confound the wicked. The Clever demoons arguement
is found in Descartes. His solution I believe was one the order that God
would not let this occur.

These are basically variation of Solopsism which not philosopher has
refuted but none have embraced.

The only way I can see that you could cling to an idea like absolute
certainty is be not thinking about it much.

>> [Case]
>> “Consciousness” is a mine field. It can mean anything from being awake
>> to oneness with the “Primary Source”.
>
> Try a dictionary definition: "the quality or state of being aware." Are
> you certain you are conscious when you write a post to this site?
>
>> I actually did address this in the original post of this thread: this is
>> pretty much how I see it:
>>
>> Human beings are possessors of the most complex chunks of matter in the
>> known universe. Through them we are able to store information. I like
>> computer metaphors so I think of this capability as a temporal buffer.
>> That is, a place were past events are represented and reconstructed.
>> This
>> is experience. This capacity allows us to randomly access events from
>> our
>> pasts and reconstruct models of the future. It is through this process
>> that we transcend the instant. We explore remembered pasts and speculate
>> about possible futures.
>
> Well, taking a cue from you, I'm not certain about all that.
>
>> [Platt]
>> Why is it evil to slash and clear cut the Amazon? You seem to be certain
>> that it is despite your assertions that nothing is certain.
>>
>> [Case]
>> We have not gotten too a point where this sort of discussion would
>> result in anything more than Snot Stew. How about we postpone it for a
while?

[Platt]
> Why beat around the bush? Let's get to it.

[Case]
Because it will just be a matter of beating around the bush. We have no
common ground for discussing this.


In the mean time why don't you go check out the Game of life exercises?
You might actually enjoy playing with it.

[Platt]
> Since I'm not certain I would, I'll pass for now.

[Case]
I am only asking for 15 mins of your time here to show you a concrete
example of the kinds of things I have been talking about here. But I guess
Gene was right.