[ExI] Modal Realism and Leibniz: (was The Many Dimensional Sculpture)

[Jef Allbright]

On Sat, Mar 15, 2008 at 9:00 AM, Bryan Bishop <kanzure at gmail.com> wrote:

>  >         * according to a widely held orthodoxy among philosophers,
>  > there are possible worlds that are logically but not physically
>  > possible, but quantum-theoretical worlds are all physically possible.
>
>  This part (direct last paragraph) needs to be double-checked. I know
>  that what Wikipedia writes is mostly true in this sociohistorical
>  context, but I also know that if it is not physically possible, then it
>  is not 'logic', in the sense of the logic of the physics of the
>  universe, you see (coherency, in the same sense that Jef uses the
>  word).

I think I use the term "coherent" in its standard sense, and I most
certainly do not mean it in the sense you ascribe to me above.

I find so many of these statements jarring in their presumption of an
Archimedian point of reference functional in terms of what's real and
true.

It seems to me that almost all of this discussion, involving thoughts
of metaphysics, logic, quantum and macro "reality" and "truth"
revolves around common (and basic) epistemological confusion.  I don't
have the bandwidth to elaborate (I've tried), but I'm encouraged that
Eliezer does seem to, and is doing quite a good job in my opinion on
the Overcoming Bias blog  -- recommended for those who find these
topics mysterious.

- Jef