Re: BHA: Re: Tobin Epistemological relativism

[Ruth Groff <rgroff@xxxxxxxx>]

Hi Viren:

I only have a minute, and I'm going to HAVE to resist really getting into this debate ,,, but I wanted to say that I'm not sure that we are using the term emergence in the same way.  When I say that I think that moral beliefs, like other beliefs, are "emergent," what I mean is that they are predicates of persons and not of physiological or biological processes.  Another way to say it is that beliefs only come into existence at a given ontological level; they presuppose and are contingent upon, but are neither equivalent to nor reducible to, the physiological entities upon which they supervene.  Same with entities like "society" vis-a-vis individuals.  You seem to mean by the term something less technical, more like "develops out of, over time," or something along those lines.

Not sure if this changes anything in terms of your position, but at least it might clarify mine.

Gotta go -- sorry not to engage more substantively with your post.  I'm sure others can do it more justice anyway.

Warmly,
Ruth



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