Back to AtD. the ideal timelessness of common sense

[Paul Mackin]

On 7/10/2012 11:05 AM, Mark Kohut wrote:
> I will, to stir the pot, just add that I think McTaggart could be 
> refuted long before modern physics....
> Remember the philosopher who kicked a rock....to refute absolute 
> 'idealism"?

Dr. Johnson, I presume. Poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, 
biographer, editor and lexicographer

P
> "McTaggart, wait a second"........
>
> *From:* Prashant Kumar <siva.prashant.kumar at gmail.com>
> *To:* Paul Mackin <mackin.paul at verizon.net>
> *Cc:* pynchon-l at waste.org
> *Sent:* Monday, July 9, 2012 9:16 PM
> *Subject:* Re: Back to AtD. the ideal timelessness of common sense
>
> In JME McTaggart's essay on time (-lessness; "The Unreality of Time") 
> he defines an A series (past, present, future) which is quite 
> interesting insofar as it reminds one of the presocratics (Heraclitus 
> et al.), but he then goes on to argue that such a view is 
> contradictory and time is therefore an ideal (in the sense of the 
> idealists). Of course, like so much pre-twentieth century metaphysics, 
> this is irreconcilable with modern physics (without thinking about it 
> too much, I'm fairly sure all you need to kill the A series is 
> relativity of simultaneity, which is only special relativity), but 
> interesting nonetheless.
>
> Prashant
>
> On 10 July 2012 02:21, Paul Mackin <mackin.paul at verizon.net 
> <mailto:mackin.paul at verizon.net>> wrote:
>
>     On 7/9/2012 9:48 AM, Mark Kohut wrote:
>
>         Nice little metaphysical joke on p. 933 at the Anarchist spa.
>           "How do you plan things?" Yashmeen was curious to know,
>         "assign duties?
>         Coordinate your efforts, that sort of thing?"
>         "By knowing what has to be done. Which is usually obvious
>         common sense."
>         "Sounds like John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart all over again,"
>         she muttered.
>           Check out McTAggart if interested in wikipedia. But for one
>         glossing purpose
>         I offer two details about him. A British "idealist" who is
>         famous for complexly
>         arguing that Time does not exist (although eternity does).
>           I'll laugh at this AtD joke using the common sensical
>         understanding of "idealism"--
>         anarchism as an ideal.....and that "common sense"-- knowing
>         what to do in a self-organizing
>         community---is in some human sense timeless.....is with our
>         origins........
>           is part of the meaning of Yashmeen's witticism and part of
>         TRP's vision, I suggest
>             P.S. a theoretical anarchist was once asked who would pick
>         up the
>         garbage in his ideal world.
>           "Anyone and they would be called garbagemen", he answered.
>
>     We know what has to be done, but what has to be done is in the
>     future, never the now.
>
>     Yashmeen has a sharp ear for contradiction.
>
>     Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today.
>
>     P
>
>
>
>
>
>


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