Willard challenges my suggested that a theory can be tested and
rejected in thought alone. (With a side comment on my prodigious
mental powers.) He suggests that most "mere mortals" aren't up to
this.
I challenge that statement. Note that I didn't say a theory could
be proved or validated in thought alone. I said it could be
rejected.
Don't you do this regularly? Have you not been presented with many
theories by many people and, after a little reflection, rejected
them? There are so many possible theories that I think without this
capability we would be lost. I bet that you not only have the
capacity but use it frequently.
Personally, I've been offerred theories about being gay (by a guy who
was after my body), about the relationship of my life to society (by
somebody who wanted me to risk it) and hundreds of theories about
learning, organisations, human beings in groups and ..... many of
which I've rejected with nothing more than mental work. Otherwise,
I'd still be out trying to prove them right or wrong.
Mike
> And I can test and challenge your theory by trying it, by comparing
> it to different approaches (say that make theory explicit or pursue
> it creatively) and I can reject it by thought without the need for
> action. This last is important because the field of possibility of
> theory is too large to explore in total - let alone the field of
> opinion, feeling and intuituion."
-- Michael McMaster Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk