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To: Lancey Howard
out of an infinite number of possible senses

Care to elaborate?

Ever read "Uncommon Sense" by the late Hal Clement?

It postulates a race of animals living on a planet without an atmosphere; molecules travel in straight lines, and the aliens have a sense organ with a pinhole lens that focuses the molecules. Smell and imaging.

I happen to think that this is one of the more imaginative science fiction stories. So show me a couple of dozen other possible senses.

140 posted on 12/19/2003 11:57:12 PM PST by Virginia-American
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To: Virginia-American
and the aliens have a sense organ with a pinhole lens that focuses the molecules. Smell and imaging.

See? Right there you have an alien "sense" that is strictly based in a human context - - "Smell and imaging."

The point is that everything that we have the capacity to imagine and discuss must, by definition, be based in a human context. Imagining "other possible senses" can surely be done as an intellectual exercise, but that exercise is obviously severely limited.

This is a very difficult topic to discuss (intelligently). Keep in mind that things like, "physical body" and "thought" are human concepts. We cannot separate ourselves from our only point of reference - - our "human-ness". Other "beings" (ha!, another human concept) which "exist" (there we go again....) in separate realities may have no physical attributes nor any ability for thought as parts of their essence.

Sorry if I sound crazy, but I think about this stuff from time to time and it usually makes my head feel like exploding. So, that's it for today.

Regards,
LH

143 posted on 12/20/2003 12:24:36 AM PST by Lancey Howard
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