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Philosophy
In reply to the discussion: Is it possible to exist outside ideology? [View all]ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)24. Lots of things going on in this post.
Do you equate "objectively real" with "physically real"?
Sure. Matter without interpretation, which is tough, since we need interpretation to talk about it.
The flags were "real".
The atoms are real, the meaning is imaginary.
The English language was "real".
No. There were humans, but calling them "English" is an opinion or belief.
The military force that backed the colonization projects was "real". The colonizers were "real". ...The natives being displaced were "real".
There was violence.
The land being colonized was "real".
People were walking on atoms that were grouped in a way that we call dirt, grass, rocks, etc.
The laws being laid down in the colonized lands were "real".
No, the laws were strictly imaginary. But people were probably inspired to act based upon these imaginings.
Which is "mere imagination" and which is "scientifically verified reality"?
There were humans who moved around and acted violently toward other humans. The rest is imaginary.
Science itself is a mere process. It's a set of rules guiding procedure. Is science "real"?
Science is a label we give to a type of behavior, just like eating, running, violence, painting, etc.
The test to determine if something is strictly imaginary is try to determine if that something exists outside of the imagination. If it doesn't, then it is strictly imaginary. Some things we cannot know for certain, like Zeus or unicorns, but some things we know we invented, like values and laws.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
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