Quote:
Originally Posted by Len Moran
I keep on falling into the same old trap of wanting explanations that can explain the absolute, in my earlier post I fondly imagined that perhaps data mining on a massive scale may help to unravel what I see as our inseparable involvement with mind independent reality and perhaps give some scientific ideas on what mind independent reality actually is. But as you say, I am looking for scientific answers to explain mind independent reality as if the scientific answers are the ultimate truth. But I can only get such answers if I frame the question properly, but if I do that then I have lost my original quest for an ultimate truth, I have converted it to obtain a scientific truth.
So I would say the ultimate truth of mind independent reality is of a nature that can not be defined, perhaps all we should really hope to say about it is that "something" is there - and just carry on discovering very important "scientific truths".
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If we cannot get a handle on this "absolute mind independent reality," then, it means it has no consistent, detectable effect on us. We don't have to worry about it. We are free to form and take advantage of multiple, overlapping, and competing theories. We should feel fortunate that there is more than one way to skin a cat, so to speak, and that many of those ways work adequately well.
Notice that engineers don't seem to be as discouraged by the lack of access to some posited absolute certainty. They function quite well with a toolbox full of useful techniques. Any new method that helps them get a project in on time, under cost, and satisfactory to the customer is seen as a benefit. Scientific types, on the other hand, seem to see such developments as falling short of the mark.
Len, be careful not to let philosophy misguide you into losing sight of what is truly of value to you and your life.