From: Crosby_M (CrosbyM@po1.cpi.bls.gov)
Date: Sun Sep 29 1996 - 16:53:00 MDT
On Thursday, September 26, 1996 5:14PM Mark Crosby wrote:
"I have trouble seeing what the use of ontology is - too many things
we've never seen before have to pass through our perceptual filters, and
our knowledge of them is so susceptible to distortion."
(Did I write that? Yuck!) If ontology means 'truth' then I'M INCORRECT.
I think I was using it to refer to 'certainty'. I am _not_ a nihilist,
though my tendency toward ambiguity might sometimes be interpreted that
way!
On Friday, September 27, 1996 6:51PM Jeff Dee thoughtfully wrote in
response (that is, he made a constructive rather than destructive
criticism):
"Our ignorance of something doesn't stop it from being true. The burden
is on *us* to find out what is actually going on, whether we can do so
perfectly or not. Telling ourselves that 'reality' is only whatever we
happen to think it is at the moment is not helpful."
I'm 100% certain that I agree with you! However, that certainty is a
subjective feeling, not an objective truth. I'm also 'certain' that we
can never be completely certain about most *things*, as opposed to
*feelings*. Is that a paradox or "conceptual drivel"? I agree that the
most important thing is, as you say, to be always questioning, trying to
reduce uncertainty.
Mark Crosby
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