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Friday, January 24, 2014

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Bill,

Just one comment on the following:

"...if a subject imagines x, then it follows that x does not exist. Everything imagined is nonexistent."

I am to embark on a vacation trip to place x. I have never been there before, so I proceed to imagine the landscape, people, etc. Upon my arrival to place x, I discover that what I imagined the place to be is fairly accurate. Surely it does not logically follow that place x does not exist merely because I have imagined it to be the case. So what do you mean?

Excellent comment, Peter.

Call it the blind date objection. I invite you to dinner telling you I have a woman I'd like you to meet. And I tell the woman that I have a man I'd like her to meet. You haven't seen a picture of the lady, and vice versa.

You form a mental image of her, and she forms one of you. Let's assume that your image turn out to be very accurate while hers turns out to be wildly inaccurate.

You want to say that what you imagined exists, and that this is a counterexample to my claim. Not everything imagined is nonexistent. Presumably you will not say that what the woman imagined exists.

Perhaps I can turn aside your objection as follows. What you imagined, exactly as imagined, does not exist. Suppose you imagine the woman as having ten features that she in fact has, but you imagine her as blond when she is brunette. So it could be argued that you didn't imagine HER.

I'll have to think about it some more. You may be right!

Theme music: Image of a Girl, Safaris, 1960. As a confirmed romantic, you should enjoy the song, Peter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-o5tY--1Ns

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