One of the Basic Questions of Philosophy?

[Cooker]

Sklansky is quoting me, and I have replied in this thread with specifically what I meant by "advantage" and "correct" with examples.

[kbfc]

I remember reading that post, but apparently didn't make the connection. Given your clarification, there is no confusion.

I still, however, get the feeling that David was getting at something else in reposting the question in this thread. It looks like he is trying to address some sort of fundamental question in philosophy. If he did indeed mean it the way you do, it's not really a fundamental question for philosophers......biologists maybe, but not philosophers.

[The Dude]

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Case in point, some studies suggest that 1/5 of children of a married couple are not the husbands.

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If this means what you are representing it to mean, which is that 1/5 of children of a married couple where the husband believes he his the father are not the husband's, I would be very suprised to see the number that high. I'm not saying it's impossible, just that I think the study more likely shows something different than what you're representing it to.

Link, please.

[PLOlover]

I think the real numbers are like 1/20, but some studies are that high in certain populations. Also to nit, I believe the terminology is couples where the man is raising a child he thinks is his, but is not.

Anyway, I was just giving the gist of it.

[The Dude]

Why would you say
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Case in point, some studies suggest that 1/5 of children of a married couple are not the husbands.

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whe you really know that
[ QUOTE ]
the real numbers are like 1/20, but some studies are that high in certain populations.

[/ QUOTE ]

To me, that says that you're more concerned with making a point than accurately represnting the facts. Shame on you.

[cielo]

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"Many people live under the mistaken belief that being correct is advantagous. This may or may not be the case. I think it is very possible, that certain incorrect views might have an advantage."



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I can't remember which book right now but Nietzsche said something along the lines of...

We men of reason and our will to truth, but why not rather untruth?

[Scotch78]

Is there value in avoiding contradictions? Yes. Does that mean nothing else can be of value? No.

Scott

". . . the errors of great men are venerable because they are more fruitful than the truths of little men . . ."

-Friedrich Nietzsche

I see a teacher in every single person that I meet. I pick out the good points and imitate them and the bad points and correct them in my self.
So what means being correct? I have my way, you have your way. As for the correct way or the only way it does not exist.

i think it has alot to do with the amount of information available in order to determine correctness. for example a man in the 1800's who chose not to smoke because he thought it would cause a 3rd leg to grow is at an advantage in a world where legitimate information on the dangers of smoking is not available. put that man in the world today, however, and the correct view of the dangers of smoking would be at an advantage over the 3rd leg growing belief.

"People live under the mistaken belief that being correct is advantagous. This may or may not be the case. I think it is very possible, that certain incorrect views might have an advantage."

If an incorect view is advantageous, perhaps it is actually correct, at least for the person to whom it is advantageous.

Is the correctness or incorrectness of a view universal?