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#1
06-22-2006, 03:40 PM
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Three Questions about Reason
1. How can we explain man's ability to use reason? In other words, how did it arise (or did it "arise" at all)?
2. Why does man use reason to connect similar, but not equal, things? 3. Is reason trancendental or is it a solely human characteristic? (I'll offer my thoughts later) 
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#2
06-22-2006, 04:42 PM
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Re: Three Questions about Reason
[ QUOTE ]
1. How can we explain man's ability to use reason? In other words, how did it arise (or did it "arise" at all)? 2. Why does man use reason to connect similar, but not equal, things? 3. Is reason trancendental or is it a solely human characteristic? (I'll offer my thoughts later) [/ QUOTE ] 1.Reason is an adaptation, like thumbs. It allows you to live longer. Early apes evolved reason to prevent them from falling out of trees (“Arboreal clambering and the evolution of self-conception”). 2.Nothing is equal. 3.Transcendental. On another note, I think it is unlikely that God created reason because so many people think un-reasonable. Logically consistent beliefs and thoughts are difficult to maintain.
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#3
06-22-2006, 06:36 PM
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Re: Three Questions about Reason
[ QUOTE ]
1.Reason is an adaptation, like thumbs. It allows you to live longer. Early apes evolved reason to prevent them from falling out of trees (“Arboreal clambering and the evolution of self-conception”). [/ QUOTE ] We agree here. [ QUOTE ] 2.Nothing is equal. [/ QUOTE ] We agree here as well, but this isn't an answer to the question. The question is, why does reason connect similar things (being that nothing is equal?) Why does reason categorize (e.g. this yellow food with a peel = that yellow food with a peel = banana. (Notice the categorization I had to make use of to make that example)). Make use of... utility. Utility is probably the best answer for why reason categorizes and turns unequal things into equal things. That's good for survival but it's terrible for learning the truth of something. Reason seemingly became what it is through evolution, and it evolved just like genes. Instead of comprehending each thing as unique and individual, it made use of categories for survival of the human. This provides the backdrop to question 3 [ QUOTE ] 3. Transcendental [/ QUOTE ] Reason is connected to the survival of the human. This may be reason's primary characteristic. If this is true then reason doesn't get us to the truth of things; it only is one mode of seeing things, and one that is perhaps flawed. If reason were transcendental, it would be unchanging. But reason does change, so it is not transcendental. I think it is more like an ongoing experience inevitably connected with man.
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