Nanani comments on The Wannabe Rational - Less Wrong

31 Post author: MrHen 15 January 2010 08:09PM

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Comment author: byrnema 16 January 2010 06:03:57PM *  5 points [-]

I think you did miss something. You write that everything adds back up to normalcy, but I observe that physical materialism feels bereft of meaning compared to the theistic worldview. (I can give more details regarding this, and concede in advance it is not a universal experience.)

If I can construct a free-floating belief system that makes "values" coherent for this bereft person, on what basis should they not prefer the free-floating belief system? The running argument seems to be that they should value 'truth'. However the obvious catch is that the person only places a terminal value for truth from within the free floating belief system.

Comment author: Nanani 18 January 2010 07:18:34AM 1 point [-]

The universe has the meaning we give it. Meaning is a perception of minds, not an inherent free-floating property of the universe.

Comment author: Mitchell_Porter 18 January 2010 08:22:56AM 0 points [-]

Meaning is a perception of minds, not an inherent free-floating property of the universe.

Off-topic, but: do you think the meaning of your own thoughts and cognitive activity is similarly observer-dependent?