Comment on Crystals

• sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Metaphysical is a fun woo woo word, because one definition of it is basically as you have said, a synonym for supernatural (ie, physically impossible), whereas the other definition of it relates to metaphysics, the philosophical approaches to understand the rules that govern or give rise to the rules/laws of physics.

  So you have one contextual usage that means ‘weird unexplained spooky impossible nonsense’, and another that means, ‘logical structures that seek to explain the nature of reality as understood empirically, often by academics.’

  Thus its a perfect word for mystical woo people who love to conflate different contextual meanings of words and pretend they are not doing that.

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  • homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Metaphysical is a fun woo woo word

    It’s also a bedrock concept in philosophy. How-we-know-what-we-know, etc.

    I mean, it can be two things, but c’mon.

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    • sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      … You are not understanding me.

      In one context, in one kind of usage, ‘metaphysical’ is an adjective referring to a very technical outline of logical reasoning.

      In another context, in another kind of usage, it is a vague catch all term for fantastic things that seem to defy logic and reason.

      Because these two valid but nearly opposite meanings of the word can be switched out, or conflated, woo woo peddlers love to use this term, as it easily convinces those who do not understand that is what they are doing.

      Its the same with ‘energy’ and ‘frequency’. Both of these terms have valid definitions that are highly specific and empirical in a scientific context, but also have commonly used, colloquial meanings which basically indicate a vague notion of pleasantness or unpleasantness.

      Woo woo peddlers also love to use these words and conflate their two different meanings.

      Most people think that the phrase ‘good/bad vibes’ means that you feel good or bad about a person or situation’s attributes, qualities or what not.

      But a person who has been listening to too much woo woo peddlers will believe that there is some kind of actual, literally real, energy or frequency surrounding or exuding from a person or situation they find pleasant or unpleasant, because they are so used to the empirical/scientific concept being totally equated to the whimsical concept that they do not understand there even are two distinct meanings.

      The point I am making is not that metaphysical is a woo woo word that means nothing.

      The point I am making is that there are many terms with nearly contradictory meanings, where one is associated with objective, ordered, rational, logical, complex concepts that can be studied and meaningfully argued over, and another meaning that is fantastical, defies empiricism or logic, and is highly subjective.

      These terms are woo woo terms not because they mean nothing, but because they are often used by woo woo peddlers who jump back and forth between these different meanings to confuse people.

      Quantum is another one. So is ‘AI’, at this point.

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      • Amanduh@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I really enjoyed your comments.

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      • homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        That makes sense, I get that you’re arguing a word is being misused or appropriated for unhelpful uses.

        In one context, in one kind of usage, ‘metaphysical’ is an adjective referring to a very technical outline or system of logical reasoning. In another context, in another kind of usage, it is a vague catch all term for fantastic things that seem to defy logic and reason. Because these two valid but nearly opposite meanings of the word can be switched out, or conflated, woo woo peddlers love to use this term, as it easily convinces those who do not understand that is what they are doing, and sounds grand, wise or profound.

        I just disagree that we know what metaphysics is beyond a shared understanding of a basic framework. “It’s what organizes all physical matter” is a terrible definition, but let’s use it for a second.

        If I’m Joe Woo Woo and I say “metaphysically, these a-here crystals will affect your monkey chakras beneficially”, you’d argue they’ve misused the word ‘metaphysics’ in that reading. I’m saying that the woo woo brand of crystals is still following “what organizes all physical matter” and we’re not misusing the term.

        What we’re really talking about is “there’s no physical evidence that the woo woo crystals beneficializes the monkey chakras”. And we couldn’t we find evidence, because it’s pre-physical evidence.

        I agree making a “Quantum Fire Pit” or an “‘AI-based’ Sandwich” is a gross misuse of terminology, but those are different from a pre-physical framework. You have to already be in the physical world to have quanta, to have AI.

        Maybe another way to say it is “Sometimes, metaphysics is woo woo.”

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    • queermunist@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      materialism > metaphysics

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