re: "all things possible" - I know it's a cliche! I know it's a cliche, but I believe it: it is a matter of conditions obtaining (for things that are immediately possible, in the sense of being practical), and conditions given (for things that are hypothetically possible given those conditions).
A example, I guess. Okay! Let's say that given sufficient force, the entire universe can be moved an infinite number of feet to the left. Even there, though, the force that is actually available will prove to be something of a practical limitation.
Now, there is such a thing as a logical impossibility - but this is not a case of any one thing being impossible. It's a case of A cannot be true if B is true. Neither A nor B is itself impossible! But B's truth becomes a practical limitating condition on the A.
5 comments:
Not to interrupt your thoughts or anything, but seems to me like that should be the other way around.
Maybe.
I would've thought it was the other way around...
Now my head hurts.
Pearl
Hm. Well let me work this one through.
I'd say that all things are possible.
Possibility itself may therefore be said to be infinite.
But within what is possible - only certain things are infinite.
No?
re: "all things possible" - I know it's a cliche! I know it's a cliche, but I believe it: it is a matter of conditions obtaining (for things that are immediately possible, in the sense of being practical), and conditions given (for things that are hypothetically possible given those conditions).
A example, I guess. Okay! Let's say that given sufficient force, the entire universe can be moved an infinite number of feet to the left. Even there, though, the force that is actually available will prove to be something of a practical limitation.
Now, there is such a thing as a logical impossibility - but this is not a case of any one thing being impossible. It's a case of A cannot be true if B is true. Neither A nor B is itself impossible! But B's truth becomes a practical limitating condition on the A.
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