"bukvich@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
" <bukvich@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Reality is the great refuter, and it remains when you pretend it isn't
> there.
It isn't very good for arguments, though. "You jumped off a tall
building. You're gonna splat." "I feel fine so far."
Splat.
"Told you so."
[crickets chirping]
When reality waits awhile before it intrudes, you can lose the argument
in the meantime. And how do you know how reality links up? You can be
standing safely on the ground talking on your cellphone with the guy who
jumped off the building, and a safe falls on you. That's reality too.
It's only natural to think if you jump off a tall building you'll
inevitably get splatted, but if you just stand around near a tall
building it isn't at all inevitable. But how can you be sure you aren't
doing something that's just as inevitable as jumping? If it happens,
then your survivors can argue about what it means. Reality doesn't
exactly refute arguments, reality can get used as a club by guys who
want to swing it to refute arguments. Sometimes their aim isn't so good.
To be absolutely certain that you're using reality as the great refuter,
you have to confuse reality with your inferences about reality. There
can be a lot of satisfaction in doing that.
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