<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><div style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:small"><font size="4">I don't much care because <span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">this is</span> just a<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">n argument over the meanings of words, it has no philosophical substance.</span> </font></div><div style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:small"><font size="4"><br></font></div><div style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:small"><font size="4">J<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">ohn K Clark</span></font></div><div style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:small"><font size="4"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br></span></font></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:small"><font size="4" style=""><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">T</span><span class="gmail_default" style=""><font face="comic sans ms, sans-serif">hat is the most laugh out loud funny thing I have ever  read in this group, and the most wrong.   There is nothing more important than the definition of words, because without precise ones we cannot communicate.  No science.  No novels.  No "What's for breakfast?"</font></span></font></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:small"><font size="4" style=""><span class="gmail_default" style=""><font face="comic sans ms, sans-serif"><br></font></span></font></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:small"><font size="4" style=""><span class="gmail_default" style=""><font face="comic sans ms, sans-serif">C'mon John, take it seriously.   bill w</font></span></font></div></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 10:00 AM John Clark via extropy-chat <<a href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org">extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sun, Sep 13, 2020 at 10:03 AM William Flynn Wallace via extropy-chat <<a href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org" target="_blank">extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr"><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><font size="4"> >></font> </span><font size="4"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">There is nothing mystical about a </span><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">"</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">decision</span><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">", it was either made for a reason in which case we call it a rational </span><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">d</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">ecision</span><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">,</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> </span><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">or it </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">was made for no reason </span><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">in </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">which case we call </span><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">it a</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> irrational decision</span><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">.  John</span></font></blockquote></div></blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"> </blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><font face="comic sans ms, sans-serif"><i><font size="4">> </font>Please define 'reason'.  </i></font></span></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div><font size="4">Please define<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> "</span>define<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">".</span></font></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></span> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><font face="comic sans ms, sans-serif">> You certainly cannot mean without a cause,</font></span></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div><font size="4">You are correct I don't mean that<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">.</span><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> Doing something without a reason, without a cause, would be unreasonable.</span> It would be random.<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> </span></font></div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><font face="comic sans ms, sans-serif">> It also depends on what you call a 'decision'.<font size="4"> </font></font></span></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><font size="4">You're asking the wrong person, I generally don't use the word "decision" in philosophical conversations, it's just not very useful in that context. I will say there was either a reason you made the decision you did, or there was not a reason for you making the decision you did. You may have made the wrong decision because you had incorrect information, but it was still made for a reason so you could say it was still rational, but if you made the decision for no reason at all then it was irrational.</font><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><font face="comic sans ms, sans-serif">> <i>Is a reflex drawing away from a fire a decision?  Are autonomic functions decisions?  I reckon not. You? </i><font size="4"> </font></font></span></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div><font size="4">I don't much care because <span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">this is</span> just a<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">n argument over the meanings of words, it has no philosophical substance.</span> </font></div><div><font size="4"><br></font></div><div><font size="4">J<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">ohn K Clark</span></font></div></div></div>
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