Heidegger

In a message dated 13/04/2008 09:35:53 GMT Standard Time,
_jPolanik at nc.rr.com_ (mailto:jPolanik@nc.rr.com) writes:

the real question remains: are the predicates I attribute to the referent of
‘I’ attributed to nothing or to something that is not nothing?

Jud:
Another outbreak of the philosophical fidgets. This is an equally falacious
statement I am afraid. There is no such thing as *something which is not
nothing,* for there is no such thing as *nothing* (or a *non-thing*) that can be
used referentially to denote something that *you* or *I* is not.

You have simply fallen into the metaphysical mistake-trap called *Plato’s
Heteron* and slithered down the ratiocinative rabbit hole to join Alice at the
Mad Hatter’s Heideggerian Sauerkraut Party.

Take some more Sauerkraut,’ the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

`I’ve had nothing yet,’ Alice replied in an offended tone, `so I can’t take
more.’

`You mean you can’t take LESS,’ said the Hatter: `it’s very easy to take
MORE than nothing.’

`One cannot take MORE or LESS than nothing said Alice - for nothing does
not exist to be more or less of.

`Hold your tongue and have a heteron sandwich!’ said the Queen, turning
purple.

`I won’t!’ said Alice.

`Off with her head!’ the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody
moved.

`Who cares for you?’ said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this
time.) `You’re nothing but a pack of Platonist cards!’

At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her:
she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat
them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of
her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead ideas that had fluttered
down from the Socratic sycamore trees upon her face.

Jud

Posted on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
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