RE: virus: Incredulity

David McFadzean (david@lucifer.com)
Thu, 13 Mar 1997 12:58:04 -0700


At 02:47 PM 13/03/97 -0500, Kirt A. Dankmyer -- aka Loki wrote:
>What criterion does one use to determine if rationality has virtues --
>regardless of what one thinks of the evidence in question? What meta-system
>does one use to critique rationality? Induction?

Rationality can be used to critique itself. This is what philosophers do:
advance positions by arguing for them, and critique positions by arguing
(rationally) against them.

But to examine the relative worth of logic itself you have to go outside
the system and see how it does compared to competitive systems in terms
of survival, happiness, effectiveness, etc. (In case it isn't obvious,
I think it does very well by those criteria.)

--
David McFadzean                 david@lucifer.com
Memetic Engineer                http://www.lucifer.com/~david/
Church of Virus                 http://www.lucifer.com/virus/