Philosophy Now Forum

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 9:33 am

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:07 pm I don't get it. So is that a yes or no?

Are you asking me for information so that you can decide?

To clarify what you were saying. The more you talk, the more murky anything you might be saying becomes. Which is surely what you want, but I'm not sure what you think the utility of that is on either end.

Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:31 am Yes, it is a fact she was thinking,

So in what way are community, community verification, etc., or consensus necessary for it to be a fact that someone has whatever personal opinions, beliefs, or feelings that they do?

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:24 pm To clarify what you were saying.

No one ever gets to clarify. --Jacques Derrida

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:24 pm The more you talk, the more murky anything you might be saying becomes. Which is surely what you want, but I'm not sure what you think the utility of that is on either end.

Ah shame buttkiss. It is absolutely not what I want (how uncharitable of you), but language just doesn't work like that.

Did you forget about that, or did you never know?

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:10 pm

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:24 pm To clarify what you were saying.

No one ever gets to clarify. --Jacques Derrida

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:24 pm The more you talk, the more murky anything you might be saying becomes. Which is surely what you want, but I'm not sure what you think the utility of that is on either end.

Ah shame buttkiss. It is absolutely not what I want (how uncharitable of you), but language just doesn't work like that.

Did you forget about that, or did you never know?

So were you saying that decisions require information or not?

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 6:30 pm So were you saying that decisions require information or not?

Does it? You should know by now...

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 6:42 pm

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 6:30 pm So were you saying that decisions require information or not?

Does it? You should know by now...

"Were you saying x?"

"Does it?"

That's some unusual grammar.

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 6:42 pm

You're the first person I've met with your sort of personality online who won't give a straight answer to anything.











And if you believe that . . .

Usually folks with the sort of (at least online) personality you have won't even give a straight answer to a question like, "Is your nickname here 'Skepdick'?" . . . and then those folks always want to get into relatively complex discussions, when we can't even settle something that simple.

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 6:45 pm You're the first person I've met with your sort of personality online who won't give a straight answer to anything.


And if you believe that . . .

Usually folks with the sort of (at least online) personality you have won't even give a straight answer to a question like, "Is your nickname here 'Skepdick'?" . . . and then those folks always want to get into relatively complex discussions, when we can't even settle something that simple.

Trivially, because you don't strike me as the kind of person who knows how to navigate around confirmation bias.

It's one thing to ask a yes/no question.

It's another thing to assume that the way I've understood your question is the way you use the words in the question.

So in giving you any yes/no answer I am likely answering your question as I misunderstood it, and not your question as you intended me to understand it....

You don't seem to know how to play this game

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 6:57 pm

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 6:45 pm You're the first person I've met with your sort of personality online who won't give a straight answer to anything.


And if you believe that . . .

Usually folks with the sort of (at least online) personality you have won't even give a straight answer to a question like, "Is your nickname here 'Skepdick'?" . . . and then those folks always want to get into relatively complex discussions, when we can't even settle something that simple.

Trivially, because you don't strike me as the kind of person who knows how to navigate around confirmation bias.

It's one thing to ask a yes/no question.

It's another thing to assume that the way I've understood your question is the way you use the words in the question.

So in giving you any yes/no answer I am likely answering your question as I misunderstood it, and not your question as you intended me to understand it....

You don't seem to know how to play this game

Yeah, it's definitely better to give an answer that seems instead like you're being an ass who won't give a straight answer to anything.

I can imagine how well this would go over hanging out with you in person.

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 7:01 pm Yeah, it's definitely better to give an answer that seems instead like you're being an ass who won't give a straight answer to anything.

It really isn't "better".

Especially since you seem to be asking a question the answer to which you already have/know.

So it really makes me wonder whether you even know why you are asking it. I mean, you didn't even paraphrase it, so you can't be checking your understanding against mine...

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 7:01 pm I can imagine how well this would go over hanging out with you in person.

People who understand how the language game, dialectic/hermeneutics actually works (e.g not philosophers) have no problems with me whatsoever.

Really an easy-going bloke, actually

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 7:04 pm

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 7:01 pm Yeah, it's definitely better to give an answer that seems instead like you're being an ass who won't give a straight answer to anything.

It really isn't "better".

Especially since you seem to be asking a question the answer to which you already have/know.

So it really makes me wonder whether you even know why you are asking it. I mean, you didn't even paraphrase it, so you can't be checking your understanding against mine...

So one thing I'd be doing is seeing just how committed you are to not giving a straight/direct/simple answer to anything. That's why I'd resort to asking something like: "Yes/No: Your name on this board is Skepdick?"

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:28 pm So one thing I'd be doing is seeing just how committed you are to not giving a straight/direct/simple answer to anything. That's why I'd resort to asking something like: "Yes/No: Your name on this board is Skepdick?"

And you continue to demonstrate your inability to navigate around confirmation bias.

A question is a request for information. You have the information that you are requesting. So you are asking a question that you didn't need to ask...

Shouldn't you rather be asking me something that would help you disconfirm your current belief? An answer that you don't expect offers higher informational content than an answer you predicted.

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:34 pm

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:28 pm So one thing I'd be doing is seeing just how committed you are to not giving a straight/direct/simple answer to anything. That's why I'd resort to asking something like: "Yes/No: Your name on this board is Skepdick?"

And you continue to demonstrate your inability to navigate around confirmation bias.

A question is a request for information. You have the information that you are requesting. So you are asking a question that you didn't need to ask...

Shouldn't you rather be asking me something that would help you disconfirm your current belief? An answer that you don't expect offers higher informational content than an answer you predicted.

A question can also be a way of gauging whether someone will be worth having a conversation with, to see if they'll directly, honestly answer something simple. If people in a conversation aren't willing to do this or capable of doing so, for whatever psychological reasons, then there's likely going to be a problem trying to tackle anything more complex.

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:44 pm A question can also be a way of gauging whether someone will be worth having a conversation with, to see if they'll directly, honestly answer something simple.

If people in a conversation aren't willing to do this or capable of doing so, for whatever psychological reasons, then there's likely going to be a problem trying to tackle anything more complex.

When you are asking questions that I know you don't need to be asking your own psychological challenges come to the forefront.

I imagine your inability to "tackle anything more complex" with a complexity theorist is probably a you-problem...

Skepdick wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:46 pm

Terrapin Station wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:44 pm A question can also be a way of gauging whether someone will be worth having a conversation with, to see if they'll directly, honestly answer something simple.

If people in a conversation aren't willing to do this or capable of doing so, for whatever psychological reasons, then there's likely going to be a problem trying to tackle anything more complex.

When you are asking questions that I know you don't need to be asking your own psychological challenges come to the forefront.

I imagine your inability to "tackle anything more complex" with a complexity theorist is probably a you-problem...

So in your typical interaction with people offline, do you regularly judge if they're asking questions "they don't need to be asking" and then tell them this if you feel that the question is unnecessary?