John and all, (01)
JFS:
> The point I have been repeating in different ways is that there is
> no such thing as an ideal upper level. Many people have reached
> that conclusion after working very hard to find one. (02)
If somebody in any case searches for "the" upper level, then there are
some criteria that can help in finding it: 1) its denial implies its
acceptance; 2) it holds in any case always and everywhere. (03)
If this sort of a principle is found, then the best thing that a
person can do is to knowingly commit to it, and investigate other
things after that. An example of this sort of a principle: (04)
"Evidently then such a principle is the most certain of all; which
principle this is, let us proceed to say. It is, that the same
attribute cannot at the same time belong and not belong to the same
subject and in the same respect;" Aristotle, Metaphysics, bk.3, ch.3,
1005b18-20. (05)
"... as for the obdurate, he must be subjected to the conflagration of
fire, since “fire” and “not fire” are one. Pain must be inflicted on
him through beating, since “pain” and “no pain” are one. And he must
be denied food and drink, since eating and drinking and the abstention
from both are one [and the
same]." Avicenna (Michael E. Marmura. The Metaphysics of The Healing,
p.43. Middle Eastern Texts Initiative. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young
University Press, 2005.) (06)
The problem is that this upper level runs something like "everything
is as it is", but its benefit is that it facilitates seeing the
problems of the proposed alternatives. Another problem is that when
searching something more in addition to the law of contradiction, it
can easily get messy :) (07)
-Avril (08)
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