as for this: "When I asked "Can you really sit there and type out a complete and coherent explanation that accounts for all of your own experiences and lessons that led you to accept or reject what you currently believe," the fact that you thought you could or have shows you didn't get what I was asking for. We don't know all of the ways we are influenced, and we cannot understand or recall all of the things that we have experienced that shape who and what we are. It is a blind spot we all have to deal with, with our minds attempting to create the appearance and feeling of cohesion and correctness. Psychologists have further shown we have a gut reaction first then try to use logic and reason to justify our views after. Logic and reason are context dependent - as the programmers used to say, "garbage in, garbage out."

....um, no. There is a kind of logic that is self-supporting and necessary. That which is necessary and sufficient is by definition "true". It's that characteristic of truth that I have strived after. Of course then what I assert is "characterized" by my self. But that doesn't mean it isn't true!

Peace,
-sgttomas