Subject: Re: [lojban] krici (was: Knowledge (was: Random lojban questions/annoyances

From: "Bob LeChevalier (lojbab)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 07:47:37 -0500

At 02:33 PM 03/20/2001 -0500, Invent Yourself wrote:
>Using the common English definition of "evidence" (sense data or
>information), there is never any belief without evidence.
>
>Using the technical epistemological definition of "evidence"
>(propositions), which includes subliminal "obvious facts", there is never
>any belief without evidence.

That is an odd definition of evidence to me; "obvious facts" are NOT 
evidence. By my understanding, the supernatural BY DEFINITION is that 
which does not manifest "natural" evidence of its existence. Belief in God 
or in angels seems to require belief.

Furthermore, abstract principles do not manifest sensorially. That "all 
men are created equal" could be treated as an assumption if it were 
negotiable, but for someone who considers it a basic truth of the universe, 
it is a belief, and I don't see what "evidence" applies to this belief.

I strongly associate my definition of belief with the word "faith", and as 
commonly used means that you hold your beliefs even in the face of apparent 
evidence that contradicts that belief.

lojbab
--
lojbab [email-masked]
Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.
2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA 703-385-0273
Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: http://www.lojban.org