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Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein There were many other books that influenced me, but the concept of a "Fair Witness" stuck with me - specifically, t
by LyndsySimon 10y ago
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein
There were many other books that influenced me, but the concept of a "Fair Witness" stuck with me - specifically, the idea that one should be aware of what is known versus what is inferred.
> Fair Witnesses are prohibited from drawing conclusions about what they observe. As a demonstration, Harshaw asks Anne to describe the color of a house in the distance. She responds, "It's white on this side". Harshaw explains that she would not assume knowledge of the color of the other sides of the house without being able to see them. Furthermore, after observing another side of the house would not then assume that any previously seen side was still the same color as last reported, even if only minutes before.
- inputcoffee 10y agoBut why not go further with some radical solpsism: 1. Why assume it is a house at all and not a facade? 2. Why assume that your eyes are not defective as to color? 3. Why assume your memory of the word "color" and "white" are correct? 4. Why assume that you heard the question properly? 5. How do you know the meanings of words haven't changed since you learned them many years ago?
- rahimnathwani 10y agoWhy assume Anne is a Fair Witness?
- LyndsySimon 10y agoYou know it's a work of fiction, and that Fair Witnesses don't exist, right? :) In real life, this is neatly addressed by Ayn Rand: "Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong."
- Nomentatus 10y agoHume actually goes farther than this list, and Heinlein is riffing on David Hume, and an old sheep joke. As for 5 I'm old enough to know that's actually a problem.