I was watching a video linked from Global Guerrilas and the fellow in it mentioned this philosophy. The basic concept is that we don't know enough to come to any conclusions, which is similar to Agnosticism, but he seems to take a more active approach.
His site about it is here.
http://www.possibilian.com/
Thought it might be the sort of thing people here would be into.
Epistemological null hypothesis? Sounds useful! Because, like, if nothing is true than everyth-
:vom: OH GOD IT WONT STOP
:barstool:
Better to just engage in real flights of fancy.
Example:
Can we falsify the existence of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland? How might we?
Quote from: Template on April 17, 2010, 09:53:01 AM
Better to just engage in real flights of fancy.
Example:
Can we falsify the existence of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland? How might we?
Well he was a Pedo and that new Alice movie sucked Quantum dongs, therefore Wonderland is in superposition with Nazi Auschwitz and since you cannot deny the Holocaust, it must be Wonderland that is untrue.
QED, Quantum Explosion Dynamo.
Quote from: Iason Ouabache on April 16, 2010, 08:39:05 AM
:barstool:
He's a Neurological scientist. Dunno how his faith (or whatever it is) informs his work, but he is a real scientist.
Quote from: Triple Zero on April 17, 2010, 10:56:44 AM
Quote from: Template on April 17, 2010, 09:53:01 AM
Better to just engage in real flights of fancy.
Example:
Can we falsify the existence of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland? How might we?
Well he was a Pedo and that new Alice movie sucked Quantum dongs
:lulz:
Quotetherefore Wonderland is in superposition with Nazi Auschwitz and since you cannot deny the Holocaust, it must be Wonderland that is untrue.
QED, Quantum Explosion Dynamo.
Goddamn Shikadi. :argh!:
Quote from: BabylonHoruv on April 18, 2010, 04:49:49 AM
Quote from: Iason Ouabache on April 16, 2010, 08:39:05 AM
:barstool:
He's a Neurological scientist. Dunno how his faith (or whatever it is) informs his work, but he is a real scientist.
And scientists are incapable of wandering off into philosophical lala-land?
Or are they immune to barstools?
Quote from: Regret on April 18, 2010, 11:29:12 AM
Or are they immune to barstools?
Maybe he developed a barstool vaccine?
Hold on,
wiki:
An adherent of Possibilianism is called a possibilian. The possibilian perspective is distinguished from agnosticism in that it consists of an active exploration of novel possibilities and an emphasis on the necessity of holding multiple positions at once if there is no available data to privilege one over the others. Eagleman has emphasized that possibilianism reflects the scientific temperament of creativity and tolerance for multiple ideas.
Are we really opposed to this?
Quote from: BabylonHoruv on April 18, 2010, 04:49:49 AM
Quote from: Iason Ouabache on April 16, 2010, 08:39:05 AM
:barstool:
He's a Neurological scientist. Dunno how his faith (or whatever it is) informs his work, but he is a real scientist.
So am I going to have to email a bunch of neurological scientists in order to get a cross section of people who think this is pretentious bullshit?
He must be right, he has a lab coat and glasses and shit, a real scientist
Quote from: Sigmatic on April 18, 2010, 05:29:59 PM
Hold on,
wiki:
An adherent of Possibilianism is called a possibilian. The possibilian perspective is distinguished from agnosticism in that it consists of an active exploration of novel possibilities and an emphasis on the necessity of holding multiple positions at once if there is no available data to privilege one over the others. Eagleman has emphasized that possibilianism reflects the scientific temperament of creativity and tolerance for multiple ideas.
Are we really opposed to this?
Probably not directly. I can see calling it into question over being a reinvention of the wheel, though.
After all, if you ask two Discordians for an opinion on Discordia, you'll get five answers.
And of couse, it's an -ism, and Discordianism can't tolerate any more of those... :lol:
Quote from: Sigmatic on April 18, 2010, 05:29:59 PM
Hold on,
wiki:
An adherent of Possibilianism is called a possibilian. The possibilian perspective is distinguished from agnosticism in that it consists of an active exploration of novel possibilities and an emphasis on the necessity of holding multiple positions at once if there is no available data to privilege one over the others. Eagleman has emphasized that possibilianism reflects the scientific temperament of creativity and tolerance for multiple ideas.
Are we really opposed to this?
Yeah, it seems like Zeteticism re-packaged.
So it's not a new idea. Whatev. Is it a bad idea?
Quote from: Sigmatic on April 18, 2010, 05:29:59 PM
Hold on,
wiki:
An adherent of Possibilianism is called a possibilian. The possibilian perspective is distinguished from agnosticism in that it consists of an active exploration of novel possibilities and an emphasis on the necessity of holding multiple positions at once if there is no available data to privilege one over the others. Eagleman has emphasized that possibilianism reflects the scientific temperament of creativity and tolerance for multiple ideas.
Are we really opposed to this?
Yes. It is the mental equivalent of masturbating into a glory hole. Useless and redundant.
The people that made this shut up should be thrown off the Tarpean Rock, like in the good old days.
AH!
Paying for such a book as as an expression of a philosophy is like paying someone to be the friend that you talk about "what ifs" with.
Such a book as Eagleman's SUM might be a fun read, but not if it costs ten or twenty dollars. Goddamn.
You could think of it as taking a pound of purest gold, converting it into gold chloride, and mixing it into the concrete for a speed bump. There's something nice there, but it's kinda lost where it is now.
Quote from: Template on April 19, 2010, 03:34:16 AM
AH!
Paying for such a book as as an expression of a philosophy is like paying someone to be the friend that you talk about "what ifs" with.
Such a book as Eagleman's SUM might be a fun read, but not if it costs ten or twenty dollars. Goddamn.
You could think of it as taking a pound of purest gold, converting it into gold chloride, and mixing it into the concrete for a speed bump. There's something nice there, but it's kinda lost where it is now.
I think of it as the finest cuisine...after it's been through my wretched and contaminated guts.