Is "anything truly possible " ?

Discussion in 'General Philosophy' started by river, Jul 19, 2019.

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  1. river

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    Not to me , but many others might think , give an example of otherwise .

    A mountain is not made of water . Grass is not concrete etc .

    Therefore is " anything is possible " a true statement ?
     
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  3. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    The question is "can a mountain be made of water?"

    Here is a mountain of water.

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  5. river

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    Okay , a geologic mountain .
     
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  7. RainbowSingularity Valued Senior Member

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    2 different things
    1 statistical probability
    2 ability to change from one state to another
    3 the ability to observe a change
    4 none of the above
     
  8. river

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    4
     
  9. RainbowSingularity Valued Senior Member

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  10. river

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    A geologic mountain can never be geologic , and water based .
     
  11. river

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    Only in biological form is time travel possible .
     
  12. candy Valued Senior Member

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    All things are possible but few are probable.
     
  13. Yazata Valued Senior Member

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    Well, everything that actually exists would seem to therefore be possible.

    So I take it that the subject line should read: "Is everything truly possible"?

    Some people (including me) would say that "Everything possible is possible", but that's a tautology and not very informative.

    But I'm inclined to think that some things aren't possible, at least in this universe, governed as it is by logic.

    So, should a state of affairs that isn't possible even be included in the scope of 'everything'? What does 'everything' mean here? Every linguistic expression that supposedly refers? Everything conceivable? Everything possible? What universe of discourse is 'everything' ranging over?

    Water is thought to have properties inconsistent with what's observed to be the substance of mountains. So the logic problem might be applicable there.

    Except... that in the outer Solar System, water ice functions as rock and there are indeed mountains of solid water. (And on very hot exoplanets that orbit very close to their stars, the silicates that form most of our Earthly rocks might be liquid or even gas.) It's all relative.

    But that being said, we still might want to say that something can't simultaneously be A and not be A.

    But on the other hand, A still might be ~A in different respects or at different times.

    I'm inclined to say 'no', but it's a more complicated issue than it might at first seem. So I don't really know the answer. It's another of the mysteries.

    It raises all sorts of very technical difficulties in the theory of reference, modal logic and metaphysics.

    https://www.iep.utm.edu/mod-meta/

    https://www.iep.utm.edu/mod-illu/
     
    Last edited: Jul 22, 2019
  14. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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  15. RainbowSingularity Valued Senior Member

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    Is "anything truly possible " ?

    Philosophy ?
    Linguistics ?
    Psychology ?
    Physics ?

    "Truth" = Truly = ? philosophy or psychology ?
     
  16. RainbowSingularity Valued Senior Member

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    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/implore
    intrinsic, implied ...
    language is science

    what you are asking is an emotional question

    you are asking for a statement of belief.

    however... you suggest in other threads you seek science rather than religion as a form of philosophical subjective reason.

    The nature of truth is elusive by its intended meaning
    The ends justifys the truth of the means with most people as a form of normative philosophical reason of linguistics (implied culture)
     
  17. river

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    [QUOTE ] So far there is no proof that any thing is possible .
    [/QUOTE]

    Show I am wrong .
     
  18. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    See post 13.
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2019
  19. river

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    ]
    See post 13.[/QUOTE]

    Why ? What is it about post #13 that proves anything is possible ?
     
  20. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Your example of 'impossible' was mountains made of water.
    Post 13 is mountains made of water.
     
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  21. RainbowSingularity Valued Senior Member

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    whats next ? a planet made of ice ?

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  22. river

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    Refer to My post # 3 .

    The mountains are geologic .
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2019
  23. river

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    The Moon can not become a Sun .
     
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