Re: virus: Re: virus-digest V2 #302

Brett Lane Robertson (unameit@tctc.com)
Fri, 14 Nov 1997 15:15:23 -0500


>Logic: A formal system of relationship between elements.
>Good: A desired state.
>Truth: An inevitable outcome.

>Rational: Consistent with a logic.
>Irrational: Contrary to a logic.

>Reasonable: Consistent with a good.
>Unreasonable: Contrary to a good.

>Valid: Consistent with a truth.
>Invalid: Contrary to a truth.

>Faith: A belief which is held to be valid and reasonable, without regard to
> it's rationality. A belief independent of any logic.

List,

Some public comments on Reed's definitions:

1. "Logic" must be differentiated between "circular" logic which is also "a
formal system" with "relationships".

2. "Rational" may imply circular logic...that is, *self* consistency..and
should therefore be contrasted from logic--in the purest sense of the word
"logic". That is, while rational may imply consistency, logic implies
efficiency as well...and Occam would support the idea that this efficiency
is not circular but rather is linear.

3. Therefore, "faith" would be: A belief which is held to be valid and
reasonable, without regard to rationality (rationalization), but which *is*
logical.

It would seem like Reed is being redundent (perhaps with a purpose in mind)
when he says that faith is not rational OR logical. He has already said
that to be rational is to be logical...So, by saying faith is *not* rational
he has already said not "logical" unless he establishes a distinction
between the two words. Therefore, I assume that there is a personal gain in
saying that faith is not "logical" (and that this personal gain is a
manipulation of the emotional attachment people typically assign to the word
"logical"...which when loosely defined might apply to science and not
religion, and which--at the threat of loss--might encourage one to
frightfully abandon religious systems that show relationships between
spiritual elements). That is, Reed is trying to encourage people to abandon
spiritual logic for fear of not being seen as "logical".

Brett

Returning,
rBERTS%n
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