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Fundamentalism and syntheticism and practical implications

שו”תCategory: philosophyFundamentalism and syntheticism and practical implications
asked 8 years ago

Hello,
I read your book “Truth and Unstable” and from the beginning I felt disgusted by the utilitarian striving to create a system of thinking that would not lead us to extreme consequences.
But my main problem with the book’s conclusion in favor of synthetic thinking is that it doesn’t solve the problem at all.
Because the holder of the (unstable) synthetic truth has no problem using radical tools like the death penalty or Southern law or eliminating a terrorist like a cat, etc.
At first I thought about the difference between killing out of a lack of respect for the lives of certain people and killing as a possible tool, but that doesn’t hold water.
In short, a synthetic thinker, just like his fundamentalist friend, can decide (even with uncertainty) on total/extreme actions based on the truth he believes in, and the only thing a synthetic view does is lower the threshold of certainty, which in a utilitarian view (yikes…) can lead to the opposite situation of lowering values ​​even further.
I remembered a story about a man who wanted to kill a second man after he saw that he was coming to kill him, and a third man tried to convince him that maybe he didn’t see well, and that he couldn’t trust his own thoughts, etc., and the first man replied that he intended to murder the second man with the same vision and thought that he saw coming, so it’s offset.
In short, morality and values ​​stemming from a synthetic view cannot be stronger than extreme actions motivated by that view.
With joy and pleasure
Reuven


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מיכי Staff answered 8 years ago
Hello Reuven. I think you have a fundamental error in understanding the book. It does not strive for synthetic thinking to prevent fundamentalism. Syntheticism is real and therefore must be embraced. Not to achieve any goals. Similarly, fundamentalism is not problematic because of its results but because it is nonsense. Its philosophical definition is not extremism but the absence of critical thinking. We have no way of avoiding relying on assumptions, but we must put them all to a critical test and understand that none of them is certain. This does not mean that it is always possible to convince, or that you have a proven key here to prevent extremism. But there will usually be less extremism there.

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ראובן replied 8 years ago

The question is divided into two topics, please note.

Indeed, at the beginning of the book (and also somewhat later in it) the fundamentalist position is presented not from a philosophical perspective but as a utilitarian problem (p. 8221).

And as I wrote, I have already read the book and I am familiar with the arguments, I would be happy if you would read my question again from the above perspective.

ראובן replied 8 years ago

By the way, I really don't like the new look, you look much more impressive with a few more pounds.

מיכי Staff replied 8 years ago

I read your question and answered it. The motivations in the book are not the justifications for synthetics but only a motivation to consider it seriously in itself.

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