'For the person or persons that hold dominion, can no more combine with the keeping up of majesty the running with harlots drunk or naked about the streets, or the performances of a stage player, or the open violation or contempt of laws passed by themselves than they can combine existence with non-existence'.

- Benedict de Spinoza. Political Treatise. 1677.




Tuesday, May 25, 2010

on certainty 479

479. Are we to say that the knowledge that there are physical objects comes very early or very late?



we learn to operate in this world –

we learn to describe –

we learn to use descriptions – i.e. ‘physical objects’ –

and we learn to describe our descriptions –

to underwrite them i.e. ‘knowledge’ –

as to whether this comes early or late –

that is an empirical issue –

best left to developmental psychologists –

not that they will have the answer –

but they will have an answer –

one to go on with


© greg t. charlton. 2010.