Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyc
Well, it you wanna go all philosophical we can not bother with the rest of the discussion. What is really real?
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I've already said what is real-- "real" is atoms, forces... things studied by physicists. "Real" is things that would be measurable by any competent observer or any type, anywhere in the universe. One could argue that human tastes, morals, and values are "real" in that an alien could observe the chemical reactions happening within discrete areas of the human brain within given emotional states. But those emotional states within a human brain do not define a measurable, objective reality, as saying "right is always right and wrong is always wrong implies." For instance, while you argue that it is good for the individual to retain rights to their creative work, others may argue that the needs of the many outway the needs of the few, or the one, while doing weird finger gestures. Or (carefully inching around the outskirts of Godwin) how the US is fully convinced that we are the good guys in a war against bloodthirsty evil monsters intent on taking over the world-- while the islamic extremist, on the other hand, are fully convinced that they are the good guys in a war against bloodthirsty evil monsters intent on taking over the world. (And before you say that they target civilian populations and we don't-- tell that to the hundreds of thousands of civilians we targeted and killed in bombing Germany and Japan in WWII-- but we were "right" because it was our side doing it, while the other side is "wrong" because their side is doing it.)
You can pretend to yourself that there is objective right and wrong-- and
you know it-- for the rest of your life. But that will not make it true.