critical-realism
mailing list archive
[ Other Periods  | Other mailing lists  | Search  ]
Date:  [ Previous  | Next  ]      Thread:  [ Previous  | Next  ]      Index:  [ Author  | Date  | Thread  ]

BHA: Reality, existence, and the Santa Clause

Let me try to make my very simple point again.  Some of you,
among others Colin, argue along the following lines: "Santa
is not real, but the beliefs in Santa are.  Therefore Santa
himself cannot cause anything; the things which seem to be
caused by Santa are really caused by those who believe in
Santa."

This is wrong.  Children only believe in Santa because
society systematically feeds them Santa stories.  The causal
chain does not *start* with the children who believe in Santa,
but the causal chain starts with those social mechanisms
which generate Santa-stories.

Hans Ehrbar.


     --- from list bhaskar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---
[ Other Periods  | Other mailing lists  | Search  ]