Is it a bird, or is it a plane or is it >another instance of right wing
machismo>
Not really. Remember my last post?
It was just looking for a quotation or reference which might indicate that
Churchill's argument is a "rehash", as Adriano maintains, and therefore
unoriginal. Perhaps there are so many, we're paralysed for choice - and that is
the explanation why this simple request goes unanswered, as yet.
Adriano talks (sarcastically) of "no mistakes" in Popper; pace Adriano, there
admittedly are some mistakes in Popper's published work, like his mistaken
definition of verisimilitude (I've mentioned this one before). No one in their
right mind would defend all of Popper's writings as flawless; and though I
think a rational person could defend Popper's treatment of the 'problem of
induction' as virtually flawless, his solution is not complete in every respect
and is not conclusive against induction, so a rational person could reject it.
Of course, how much any "mistakes" affect the overall thrust is open to
question - in the case of 'verisimilitude' does the failure of the definition
shipwreck the very concept, and shipwreck Popper's theory of knowledge along
with it, or does 'verisimilitude' remain valid as a concept and the failure of
the definition have no impact on its role within Popper's theory of knowledge
(except to admit there is currently some definitional or conceptual uncertainty
as to what ensures one theory has greater versimilitude than another)? In the
case of some other alleged "mistakes" by Popper, their character as mistakes is
disputable, as well as their impact on the overall thrust (e.g. the
questionable character of Popper's characterisation of Plato and Hegel hardly
invalidates any of the core arguments in favour of democracy used in _The Open
Society_).
But some mistakes are clear cut and easily enough established. A good thing
about my request (yesterday) is that, if the 'cross bearing' argument a
"rehash" and therefore Popper mistakes Churchill's originality, it should be
easy enough to provide a quotation/reference that shows Popper's mistake in
this regard.
Unless perhaps Churchill's "cross-bearing" precursors worked solely in an oral
tradition, like Homer, in which case we should be told.*
DL*Look how difficult sarcasm is and applaud the wit and insight
