<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 5/31/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Carrol Cox</b> <<a href="mailto:cbcox@ilstu.edu">cbcox@ilstu.edu</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
It seems there is always confusion when an attempt is made to derive<br>real propositions from tautological premises. Humans are animals. That<br>is either tautological or incoherent. Any affirmationf _or_ denial of it<br>
is going to lead to more confusion. Humans are biological is simply<br>awkward English. Humans are biological creatures brings in a creator.<br>Humans are biological agents. Gee Whiz! That can't make any sense<br>because its contrary can't make any sense.
</blockquote><div><br>I think saying that a living organism is biological and not some supernatural entity is a little like saying that a rock is "physical" and is not merely that part of the physical that some call the mental. These are natural-kind terms that in an everyday conversation we use in common sense ways. To say that homo sapiens sapiens is not a biological organism, and what ever makes human history, personality, etc does not somehow, we don't know how, come out of our biological nature, does not make sense as a starting point for discussion, unless one wants to start from a "spiritual premise" of some kind.
<br><br>These may be tautologies but sometimes you must agree on the tautologies in order to have a good conversation. <br><br>Jerry <br></div><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Possibly there are no propositions of the form "Humans are X" that are<br>both coherent and non-tautological. At least I've never come across a<br>coherent discussion in which participants try to draw concrete<br>
conclusions starting out with universal propositions about humans.<br><br>Carrol<br>___________________________________<br><a href="http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk">http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
</a><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Jerry Monaco's Philosophy, Politics, Culture Weblog is<br>Shandean Postscripts to Politics, Philosophy, and Culture<br><a href="http://monacojerry.livejournal.com/">
http://monacojerry.livejournal.com/</a> <br><br>His fiction, poetry, weblog is<br>Hopeful Monsters: Fiction, Poetry, Memories<br><a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/jerrymonaco/">http://www.livejournal.com/users/jerrymonaco/
</a> <br><br>Notes, Quotes, Images - From some of my reading and browsing<br><a href="http://www.livejournal.com/community/jerry_quotes/">http://www.livejournal.com/community/jerry_quotes/</a>