virus: RE: Hegel's Virus (was Altruism, Empathy, Etc.)

D. H. Rosdeitcher (76473.3041@compuserve.com)
29 Apr 97 12:32:58 EDT


Robin wrote:
> I "corrected" the use of the word
>"altruism" using a dictionary definition. That is the closest I've
>ever come to saying what DHR says I said.
>DHR obviously thinks that the use of dictionaries and the
>belief that meanings are context-dependent are contradictory.
>Sorry, I don't have the patience right now to explain why that's
>not the case. I am working on the assumption that most of
>the people that read this have at least 2 functioning brain
>cells. Maybe someone else can explain it to him.

Robin--There appeared to be 2 instances in which you took a word used correctly
in its context and claimed that the word was used incorrectly, using the
dictionary definition as your source and then backing your opinion up with the
"later work of Wittgenstein". In both those instances, the content of the
statements implied an opinion that Buddhism does not coincide with objective
reality. Here are the statements:

Reed wrote:
>>Obviously we are
>>altruistic...in the sense that we can engage in trade, that we can delay
>>gratification, that we are willing to "invest" effort today on the
>>assumption that there will be return with interest at a later date.

Robin wrote:
>Sorry, that's not altruism.
>http://humanities.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/WEBSTER.sh?WORD=altruism
>Regard for others, both natural and moral; devotion to the interests of
>others; brotherly kindness; -- opposed to egoism or selfishness.

I wrote:
>> There is a commonly accepted lie called 'egalitarianism'--the idea that each
>>ideology, (ie. >Objectivism, Catholicism, Wiccanism, etc.) is just as good as
>>the next.

Robin:
>egalitarianism - the doctrine that advocates equal political and social
>rights for all citizens. As such, egalitarianism is enshrined in the
>U.S.
>constitution.
>Fast Times Political Dictionary:
>http://www.fast-times.com/political/political.html

Wittgenstein would not agree that these words were used out of context,
especially with understanding error correction mechanisms. --David