Objectively True » hypotheticals http://www.objectivelytrue.com forcibly extracting meaning from everything (syncretically) Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:28:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 A fun set of hypotheticals… http://www.objectivelytrue.com/philosophy/2009/12/23/a-fun-set-of-hypotheticals/ http://www.objectivelytrue.com/philosophy/2009/12/23/a-fun-set-of-hypotheticals/#comments Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:44:58 +0000 jackson http://www.objectivelytrue.com/?p=337
  • Everyone you know that has watched a commercial for Bob’s NewWidget purchases Bob’s NewWidget and thinks that it is the greatest invention.
    • You are given the opportunity to watch the commercial.  Do you take it?
  • Everyone you know that has taken a certain drug BNW purchases Bob’s NewWidget and thinks that it is the greatest invention.
    • You are given the opportunity to take the drug.  Do you take it?

    • Now we’ll change things slightly:

    • Everyone you know who has read a certain book comes to believe that free market capitalism is the only viable economic system for the future of humanity.
      • Do you read the book?
    • Everyone you know who has taken a certain drug FMC comes to believe that free market capitalism is the only viable economic system for humanity.
      • Do you take the drug?

    and, finally…

    • Everyone you know who has read a certain book comes to believe that God exists and has a personal relationship with them.
      • Do you read the book?
    • Everyone who has taken drug BPG comes to believe that God exists and has a personal relationship with them.
      • Do you take the drug?

    In all these cases, of course, we assume that there are no other side-effects of the drug/book/commercial.  Tease out what matters between these different scenarios, if anything in fact, distinguishes them.

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