Two reasons for the same twist

שו”ת › Category: philosophy › Two reasons for the same twist

asked 4 years ago

Hello Rabbi,
Suppose that X can alone cause Y.
And likewise, Z can alone cause Y.
Is it possible for both X and Y to operate in the same place and at the same time and create only one Y? why?
Thanks in advance.

Discover more from הרב מיכאל אברהם

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

0 Answers

0 Vote Up Vote Down

מיכי Staff answered 4 years ago

It seems you mean both X and Z. I think it’s not helpful to think about it in a schematic way. Take an example and discuss it. For example, when striking a match creates fire and focusing the sun on paper with a magnifying glass creates fire, what happens if you do both? Fire will be one of the two sources. If Eve is pregnant and Leah is pregnant, they will of course give birth to two sons. If there is an example that you are unsure about, post it here and we can discuss it. Otherwise, it is an undefined question.

Discover more from הרב מיכאל אברהם

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

OR replied 4 years ago

Okay, the case is this:
The way I see it, there are two types of meanings:
Psychological meaning, in which a person chooses to turn a fact into something that obliges them. (For example: to dedicate their life to jumping on one leg for ten minutes every even hour.)
And philosophical meaning, in which a person chooses whether to carry out something that obliges them in the first place. (For example: to listen to the laws of morality.)
Can a person do a certain act when he fulfills both the level of psychological meaning and the level of philosophical meaning, or will he fulfill only one of them?

מיכי Staff replied 4 years ago

You ask whether a person can do something for two different reasons? Of course he can. What is the question? For example, a person who studies Torah because he has to and because he enjoys it. If each of the reasons alone were sufficient to make him study, then it is correct to say that he does it for both reasons. If each alone were not sufficient for him, then he does it for a reason that is a combination of both.