From: Samantha Atkins <samantha@objectent.com>
>Y'all seem to be playing pretty fast and loose with "axiom" here
>or at least what I understand an "axiom" to be. Any arbitrary
>belief is not necessarily an "axiom" just because it is arbitrary.
>In particular the notion of no life after death follows from
>particulars ideas of what constitutes life, death and so on.
>Such derivative notions are not "axioms". Axioms are primary
>assumptions not derivable from anything else in a system of logic
>or philosophy.
From Websters Universal college dictionary:
Axiom: 1) a self evident truth that requires no proof 2) a
universally accepted principle or rule 3) a proposition in logic or
mathematics that is assumed without proof for the sake of studying
the consequences that follow from it.
I believe the belief that there is no life after death qualifies as
an Axiom as defined above.
>>It follows axiomatically that I believe the killer suffer an
>>equal fate.
>Again, something that follows expressly does not follow
>"axiomatically". It may be implied by (or follow from) an axiom
>by applying some rules for extracting logical consequences of said
>axiom[s].
Again from Websters:
Axiomatic: 1)pertaining to the nature of an axiom; self evident. 2)
aphoristic
Again I think this qualifies.
>Ockham's Razor is a general reasoning strategy. Again, it is not
>an axiom. Incomprehensible conclusions do not axioms make. One
>does not need to make things up or claim they are axioms to end
>argument and rational debate about one's conclusions. That is an
>abuse of the concept "axiom".
I don't agree as defined above.
>Please define "justice". And don't tell me it is an "axiom".
Justice: 1) the quality of being just; righteousness,
equiltableness, or moral rightness.
Shall I go on.
Brian
Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
Adler Planetarium www.adlerplanetarium.org
Life Extension Foundation, www.lef.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
Mars Society, www.marssociety.org
Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W
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