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Living in a Natural World DISSERTATION Titel der Dissertation "Living in a Natural World" or "Keeping it Real" Verfasser Mag. iur. Bakk. techn. Günther Greindl angestrebter akademischer Grad Doktor der Philosophie Wien, 2010 Department of Philosophy University of Vienna A-1010 Austria [email protected] Studienkennzahl lt. A 092 296 Studienblatt: Dissertationsgebiet lt. Philosophy Studienblatt: Betreuer: Prof. Franz Martin Wimmer and Prof. Karl Svozil This Page Intentionally Left Blank When superior students hear of the Way They strive to practice it. When middling students hear of the Way They sometimes keep it and sometimes lose it. When inferior students hear of the Way They have a big laugh. But "not laughing" in itself is not sufficient to be called the Way, and therefore it is said: The sparkling Way seems dark Advancing in the Way seems like regression. Settling into the Way seems rough. True virtue is like a valley. The immaculate seems humble. Extensive virtue seems insufficient. Established virtue seems deceptive. The face of reality seems to change. The great square has no corners. Great ability takes a long time to perfect. Great sound is hard to hear. The great form has no shape. The Way is hidden and nameless. This is exactly why the Way is good at developing and perfecting. – Daode Jing, Verse 41i i Translated by Charles Muller (LaoziMuller 2004) This Page Intentionally Left Blank Table of Contents 1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................1 1.1 One Magisterium..................................................................................................................2 1.2 The End of Philosophy or Never Ending Philosophy?........................................................7 1.3 A Scientific Philosophy of Life..........................................................................................14 1.4 Outline of Thesis................................................................................................................18 1.4.1 Introduction................................................................................................................18 1.4.2 On Rationality............................................................................................................18 1.4.3 Metaphysics................................................................................................................20 1.4.4 On Persons..................................................................................................................22 1.4.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................23 2 On Rationality............................................................................................................................25 2.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................26 2.2 The Agent Perspective........................................................................................................29 2.3 Natural Rationality.............................................................................................................33 2.3.1 Bootstrapping.............................................................................................................33 2.3.2 Instrumental and Non-instrumental Rationality.........................................................36 2.3.3 Reasons.......................................................................................................................39 2.3.4 Logic and other Standards..........................................................................................40 2.3.5 Coherence...................................................................................................................42 2.4 The Body............................................................................................................................43 2.4.1 On Emotions...............................................................................................................43 2.4.2 On Intuitions...............................................................................................................47 2.4.3 Meaning, Understanding and Explanation.................................................................48 2.4.4 Memes........................................................................................................................51 2.5 Things to Watch.................................................................................................................53 2.5.1 Cognitive Biases.........................................................................................................53 2.5.2 The Power of Words...................................................................................................55 2.5.3 Authority.....................................................................................................................58 2.5.4 A Cult of Rationality...................................................................................................60 2.6 Updating.............................................................................................................................63 2.6.1 Learning......................................................................................................................63 2.6.2 Models and Kuhn.......................................................................................................64 2.6.3 Bayesianism................................................................................................................66 2.7 Standard (Non-)Issues........................................................................................................71 2.7.1 Münchhausen Trilemma.............................................................................................71 2.7.2 Truth...........................................................................................................................71 2.7.3 Truth Maintenance Systems.......................................................................................73 2.7.4 Objective and Subjective ...........................................................................................76 2.7.5 Science, Rationality and other Domains of Inquiry...................................................77 2.7.6 Limits of Knowledge..................................................................................................79 2.8 Naturalism..........................................................................................................................81 2.9 Opposition to Rationality...................................................................................................83 2.9.1 Variants of Opposition................................................................................................83 2.9.2 Misconceptions...........................................................................................................84 2.9.3 Overconfidence..........................................................................................................85 2.9.4 Anti-authoritarian.......................................................................................................87 2.9.5 Radical Constructivism or Reason gone Wrong.........................................................88 2.9.6 Religion......................................................................................................................96 2.9.7 Ludditism and Existential Risks.................................................................................99 2.10 Rationality, the Dao of Thinking....................................................................................101 3 Metaphysics.............................................................................................................................105 3.1 The Ontological View......................................................................................................106 3.1.1 Dereferencing Reality...............................................................................................106 3.1.2 Reductionism, Emergence and Complex Systems...................................................116 3.1.3 An Eclectic Structural Realism.................................................................................120 3.1.4 A Mathematical Universe?.......................................................................................129 3.1.5 Functionalism Negated.............................................................................................136 3.1.6 Time and Space........................................................................................................137 3.1.7 Universal Darwinism................................................................................................139 3.1.8 Quantum Fairy Land................................................................................................140 3.2 Panqualicism....................................................................................................................148 3.2.1 Monism.....................................................................................................................148 3.2.2 Anomalous Monism.................................................................................................153 3.2.3 Being in a State.........................................................................................................154
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