I don’t know about you, but I’m becoming heartily sick of being told the obvious nonsense that “myths” are just as valid an approach to the truth as science, just different. No they aren’t. If there were a better way of getting to the truth, science would adopt it.
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Replying to @RichardDawkins
Not better. And I think we need to really be clear on the utility. Does myth tell us anything about the real world? Orbital mechanics and such? Of course not. Might they have something to say when it comes to human meaning? Maybe. Don't be so quick to discard.
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Replying to @RhettRothberg @RichardDawkins
This is the vital difference. We can be deeply moved by art in the form of poetry or epic narratives w/out claiming them to be true. Scientists have no lesser an appreciation for these than anyone else. Blurring the distinction between 'meaningful' & 'true' is a problem.
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I love you all BUT- can I make a musical analogy? (I’m a composer). An analysis of say Beethoven 5 can only tell u so much. Music creates “meaning” in ways we can not decipher empirically. There really are more things in heaven and earth that can be dreamt of in your philosophy!
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Nobody denies this tho. RD wrote a whole book about it. See Unweaving the Rainbow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unweaving_the_Rainbow …
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Replying to @HPluckrose @StephenRae12 and
There is absolutely no reason why understanding that truth is obtained via evidence should mean that profound appreciation of the arts is not also very important and meaningful to humans.
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It’s more than important or meaningful though. It’s not a hierarchy of truths, with Science at the top and the Arts as simply important. They are different and equally valid windows to view the world. (And believe me, I say this as a happy atheist)
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Well, we agree then. People tend to think that saying that science is about establishing what is true and art is not means that art is lower but they are not on a hierarchy. They are just different. Science tells us what is true about the world. Art opens up a different world.
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There’s that problematic word then- “truth”. No wonder JBP n SHarris bogged down for so long on that one. So, I’m really interested in your definition then of someone who holds my position. I call them both truths, just different ones. Am I a fucking post modernist?
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Helen Pluckrose Retweeted Helen Pluckrose
You just don't believe in objective truth. I wish you would. You don't have to think something is true to value it. See short thread.https://twitter.com/HPluckrose/status/999999120038383616 …
Helen Pluckrose added,
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