http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/ crass, boorish and more a bruiser than blogger Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:49:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-162228 Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #51 | Liberal Democrat Voice Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:48:46 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-162228 [...] Papworth’s Liberal Polemic blog. Alex: “The best on the religious controversies,” along with this one by James [...] […] Papworth’s Liberal Polemic blog. Alex: “The best on the religious controversies,” along with this one by James […]

]]> http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-162125 GagWatch » Men in frocks news Mon, 11 Feb 2008 20:08:23 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-162125 [...] head over to Quaequam Blog! to watch James Graham (from who I stole the picture for this post) pull apart Rowan Williams’ rather silly views on religious hatred [...] […] head over to Quaequam Blog! to watch James Graham (from who I stole the picture for this post) pull apart Rowan Williams’ rather silly views on religious hatred […]

]]> http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-160901 Barry Stocker Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:44:39 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-160901 Pedantic philosophical point. The phrases 'if Williams had had his way' and 'in a parallel universe his counterpart is currently sitting in a police cell' sort of cancel each other out or are sort of tautologous. The statement of the kind 'if something had happened' is a conditional, a way of referring to something that might happen or might have happened. A statement of the kind 'in a parallel universe something is happening' is another way of referring to a conditional situation by suggesting that there are infinite parallel universes so that all logically possible worlds and all situations possible in those worlds do exist. You can't put the two kinds of statement together though: either Williams might have had his way on limiting free speech and in that case he would be in a police station; or there is a possible world in which Williams has his way in limiting free speech and as a consequence finds himself in a police station. It may seem a bit unnecessary to go on about this, but there is an issue of clear thought and expression here, as well as philosophical distinctions. The issue is of whether we talk about an imaginary situation in this world, or we imagine other parallel worlds (and maybe there really are such things). Conditionals, counterfactuals and possible worlds are important in recent philosophy. The possible worlds stuff though, largely through popularised versions of quantum mechanics, is well established in the broader culture: Philip Pullman, *Donnie Darko*, *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* etc. Pedantic philosophical point. The phrases ‘if Williams had had his way’ and ‘in a parallel universe his counterpart is currently sitting in a police cell’ sort of cancel each other out or are sort of tautologous. The statement of the kind ‘if something had happened’ is a conditional, a way of referring to something that might happen or might have happened. A statement of the kind ‘in a parallel universe something is happening’ is another way of referring to a conditional situation by suggesting that there are infinite parallel universes so that all logically possible worlds and all situations possible in those worlds do exist. You can’t put the two kinds of statement together though: either Williams might have had his way on limiting free speech and in that case he would be in a police station; or there is a possible world in which Williams has his way in limiting free speech and as a consequence finds himself in a police station. It may seem a bit unnecessary to go on about this, but there is an issue of clear thought and expression here, as well as philosophical distinctions. The issue is of whether we talk about an imaginary situation in this world, or we imagine other parallel worlds (and maybe there really are such things). Conditionals, counterfactuals and possible worlds are important in recent philosophy. The possible worlds stuff though, largely through popularised versions of quantum mechanics, is well established in the broader culture: Philip Pullman, *Donnie Darko*, *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* etc.

]]> http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-160719 Alex Sat, 09 Feb 2008 18:32:20 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-160719 Heh. Or if he'd ever correct himself at all. Heh. Or if he’d ever correct himself at all.

]]> http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-160618 James Graham Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:08:04 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-160618 Absolutely. Wouldn't it be nice if York were willing to correct himself so promptly? Absolutely. Wouldn’t it be nice if York were willing to correct himself so promptly?

]]> http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-160614 Alex Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:57:08 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/09/rowan-williams-on-religious-hatred-quite-silly-actually/#comment-160614 Is it possible you meant John Sentamu instead of Charles? Is it possible you meant John Sentamu instead of Charles?

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