Re: E.S.P. in the Turing Test

From: Michael Wiik (mwiik@messagenet.com)
Date: Thu Aug 31 2000 - 08:53:07 MDT


"Jason Joel Thompson" <jasonjthompson@home.com> wrote:

> Again, belief in reality is obviously a good working model. It is a
> convention of your mind that facilitates your existence. I prefer however
> to leave that sliver of skeptism in my mind-- I trust my senses, but if the
> nature of things is shown to be fundamentally different, then I am prepared
> to be flexible. Further, I am prepared to believe in no "nature of things"
> at all-- that we live in the emergent vapor of an existence that is
> illusory, for instance.
>
> Heady stuff and apparently of very little practical use other than mental
> excercise.

Hmmm, I think this promotes tolerance, and perhaps openness towards new
ideas. It's of course always helpful to be skeptical, and one needn't
accept everything (or anything). In my own life I find this philosophy
to be very useful in practical, day to day situations. It enables me to
see the 'good', and imfo there is always some 'good', in people or
groups whom extropians as a group seem to want to make enemies.

        -Mike

-- 
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Michael Wiik
Principal
Messagenet Communications Research
Washington DC Area Internet and WWW Consultants
http://messagenet.com
mwiik@messagenet.com
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