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Subject: Where are the assumptions?

Author:
Wade A. Tisthammer

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Date Posted: 03/15/04 12:23pm
In reply to: Damoclese 's message, "But not as well" on 03/14/04 8:11am

>"Suppose the past is infinite and suppose Tristram
>Shandy has been writing from eternity past."
>
>Assumption: That an infinity past (eternity past) is
>something we can conceptualize accurately.

I request you define "conceptualize accurately." Are you saying we cannot draw accurate conclusions from an infinite past or certain scenarios regarding it?

>Assumption: That the past rather than a human
>shorthand title, is an actual entity that exists and
>that our hypothetical person can experience such an
>entity. (conciously or not)

Depends what you mean by "exist." The past obviously is not a concrete object, but it exists in the sense that there was time before the present, that certain things did happen (e.g. the American Civil War) etc.

>That wasn't so hard to find was it?

Perhaps it wasn't hard to find in a version of the argument we are not using (you quoted the version I myself have already refuted). We were discussing the revised version which explicitly details numbered premises.

Now if the assumptions are made anywhere it's in the premises. Again, which premise do you attack? (I recommend the first one, it appears to be the weakest.)

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Replies:

Subject	Author	Date
Confession of much apathy	Damoclese	03/15/04 5:29pm
If you're apathetic about this, why have you continued so far? -- Wade A. Tisthammer, 03/18/04 9:55am