Goodwin & MrFreeman
MrFreeman, I was perusing a 1983 footnote on metaethics that suggests truth might slip through an overlooked clause—do you think a systematic search for such hidden clauses could reveal a universal moral law, or is it just another pattern we impose on chaos?
Maybe you’ll uncover a rule, maybe you’ll just highlight more noise. The pattern’s there if you look hard enough, but so is the chance you’re fitting a shape to chaos.
I suppose the real question is whether we’re chasing an illusion or uncovering a hidden regularity. As long as we treat noise as mere distraction, the pattern you claim will never convince anyone—but if we treat it as data, we’ll soon be arguing over the very definition of “pattern.” By the way, have you measured the coffee in the cafeteria? It might offer a simple, yet surprisingly rigorous, example of how everyday variables can be coerced into a grand philosophical narrative.
I haven't taken a sip yet, but if you do, count the grams of sugar, the temperature, the time it sits. Treat those numbers as data, not as prophecy, and you'll see whether the coffee is a pattern or just another set of variables.