tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4302058077294515606.post430971938807162538..comments2023-05-21T08:15:38.932-04:00Comments on Benjamin Peck's Writings, 2008-2011: FACTS DO NOT NEED TO BE OFFICIAL; THERE ARE NO "REAL FACTS"Benjamin Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11060411573921973698noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4302058077294515606.post-15693199848486879692010-04-14T11:11:23.225-04:002010-04-14T11:11:23.225-04:00Nice to see you, Profound!
My definition for &quo...Nice to see you, Profound!<br /><br />My definition for "fact" is "any act, event or condition that is objectively verifiable and perceptible by the human senses." There are two classes of people consider in this "fact" analysis. First, there are the relatively few people who are present to directly perceive an act, event or condition. For everyone else, recorded memories, stories and other second-hand reports must suffice. This "collateral" class does not call something a fact because it KNOWS it by perception: Rather, it DECIDES whether something is a "fact" by awarding it with "belief."<br /><br />It's easy enough to define "fiction" as an "imaginary fact," namely, some "act, event or condition" that no one ever perceived. But the trouble arises with second-hand reports about "fiction." For those who don't know no one ever perceived the reported act, event or condition, there is always a chance they will believe the fanciful reports and consider them "fact." So "fiction" is "fiction" only to the extent that a person knows that no one ever perceived the described act, event or condition. For everyone else, "fiction" just might be "fact," as long as the author sells it well it enough to win credibility for his story.<br /><br />This is a substantial problem with human sense and belief: It is easy to manipulate. So in the end, "what really happened" is not the right measure for the word "fact." Belief is. That is pretty scary if you think about it, especially when you consider that many people only believe reports from certain sources. What if those sources dispensed FICTION?Oesterhoudthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09371810897503038850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4302058077294515606.post-26655552692631871422010-04-13T19:31:27.438-04:002010-04-13T19:31:27.438-04:00Interesting question: What constitutes a "fac...Interesting question: What constitutes a "fact"? You make some interesting points here, but then how does one distinguish fact from fiction? Or maybe one shouldn't bother, since the two may just be different terms for the same thing.nothingprofoundhttp://wwwaphorismscom.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com