When a system of thought becomes less than totally trivial, an infinite regress of challenges manifest and it becomes increasingly uncertain 🧠

All thought consists of the manipulation of symbols according to game rules. The combination of symbols and the rules for manipulating those symbols makes up a system. When stripped to their mathematico-logical bones, all systems appear to be either trivial or dubious. If trivial, they are certain, but we cannot learn much from them because they refer to very little. As soon as a system becomes less than totally trivial, and refers to more and more, a species of infinite regress begins and it becomes increasingly uncertain: we have to prove an endless series of steps between step A and step B before we can move on to step C.

An example of this regress is as follows: “I never eat animals because they are our brothers” said an American student of Zen. “Why shouldn’t we eat our brothers?” asked the Zen roshi. The Zen student had a simple formula: Animals are our brothers, we should not eat our brothers, therefor we should not eat animals. Once this is analyzed critically, a new argument begins, and that argument can be analyzed at any point, and thus an infinite regress is created.

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References

Wilson, A., Robert (1986). The New Inquisition Chapter 1 Models, Metaphors, and Idols (Page 20 · Location 286). Grand Junction, Colorado: Hilaritas Press

Metadata

Type:🔴 Tags: Psychology / Philosophy / Epistemology / Logic Status:☀️