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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> extropy-chat [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>William Flynn Wallace<br><b><span style='color:#1F497D'>>…</span></b></span><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'></span><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:black'></span><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'>Each can hold truths that are false or simply not applicable in any other system</span><span style='color:black'></span><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'>.</span><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'> </span><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'> Rational theological arguments are meaningless in empiricism.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'>Right? Spike?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'>bill w<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Ja. I am only claiming to be able to create or synthesize lines of reasoning compatible with a certain narrow and closed system of which I am very familiar. I could not create any logical structure which would mean anything to Jews, to Catholics, to anything other than that one closed self-referential system. In that one closed system, I understand the underlying assumptions and understand why it is immune from objective questioning.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>That system is completely self-consistent and logical under the assumptions made by that system. To disprove that logic structure, one must look outside that closed system.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>From an outside point of view, the whole logic structure makes no sense. Inside, it all makes perfect sense. It is self-referential as all hell, but in that system you don’t need to worry about the system being self-referential because it is all true. From outside, it is all false.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Choose your point of view.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>When you do, choosing one with actual predictive power is power indeed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>spike<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></body></html>