[extropy-chat] The Importance of Context

[Heartland]

Jef:
"Heartland asserts that identity is established always and only by continuity of
the physical trajectory of the matter which performs the mind function.  To most of
us on this list, there appear many immediate and obvious exceptions and logical
flaws with this reasoning, but despite much discussion, Heartland appears to
continue to hold this sincere belief.  Even when it is suggested that he believes
this to be true because he wants it to be true, he has always shown the capability
for further discussion.  This is yet another example of system behavior within a
specific context."

Well, that's not quite fair, is it? You say that many on this list clearly see the
"obvious exceptions and logical flaws" in my reasoning and that I simply choose to
ignore them even when they are being pointed out to me. What usually happens is 
that people who argue with me already assume patternist view and evaluate the 
conclusions I provide entirely in terms of patternist view
instead of showing evidence for why patternist view better approximates reality in 
the first place.
It's little bit like arguing with a fundamental Christian who despite your
perfectly logical explanations about how natural selection works says, "but the 
Bible says different," as if the Bible, not science based on evidence and provable 
predictions, is the fundamental and unquestionable assumption that a discussion 
about creation should be based on.

So yes, I tend to ignore most of these arguments, not because I want to, but
because they are simply circular, confused, and, most importanly, irrelevant to the
real discussion about the fundamental nature of continued existence.

S.