Opinions - The Absolute Sound

Seems appropriate to ask opinions on an audio mag here.

I prefer Stereophile, for the measurements and the detailed set-up information, both of which AS lacks. I think these omissions contribute to the slightly lightweight vibe of AS, since the (almost invariably positive) "verdict" often seems to me less useful than other info in a review.

That said, Mceljo, I think most hobbyists would get a CDs worth of pleasure from a year of either mag.

John

knowledge can only be established using mathematics and/or logic, both absent in your statement(s).

Mrtennis: is your contention that there is no observational/empirical knowledge? Might make it difficult to explain scientific discovery.

Yours in epistemology,

J

Blkadr: Note that I'm not the one who used "tautological." ;) I think a little epistemology makes a nice counterpart to "the best speaker", and of course, toothpaste.

Mrtennis: Glad to see you biting the bullet on the impossibility of scientific knowledge. Hard to do nowadays (harder than it was for Plato), given the remarkable success of scientific inquiry.

As others have noted, the music reviews and writing in both TAS and Sp probably justify the cost (though I feel guilty about the paper). I've been put on to a good bit of nice music I'd not have come across otherwise.

J

Timrhu's right, Mrtennis. Never too late to pursue study of philosophy, or anything else. Change happens!

But for most people, it is probably unwise to pursue college teaching as a vocation, esp. later in life. The current economic malaise seems to have increased the (already depressing) rate at which desirable, secure, jobs in the academy are drying up. There might be some uptick with a "recovery," but I suspect things will continue to be a bit grim.

John

PS: FWIW, the standard account of knowledge as "justified true belief" does not seem to imply certainty.

truth without certainty seems contradictory

Mrtennis: I might have lots of true beliefs, without being certain of them; e.g., I might make an educated guess about what floor of the garage I parked my car on, and be right. Indeed, there might be any number of true statements nobody has considered, so nobody is certain of them.

The general thought is that certainty is somehow psychological, and truth is not.

It's plausible that knowledge entails certainty (knowledge may be a partly psychological notion). I don't think it does, because I don't think justification requires certainty.

John

I have no problem with philosophical discussions but this poor guy asked our opinions on TAS.

Aww Rja, come on, both Mrtennis and I expressed views about TAS. Mrtennis is skeptical of the Mags value, while I, for the sort of reasons described in detail by Sgr, think many, if not most, hobbyists would get 30 bucks a year of value from subscribing to both TAS and Sp. So my advice, tempered by paper-consumption-guilt, is to try both.

Actually, the philosophical discussion helps contextualize Mrtennis' skeptical remarks on the Mags. He doesn't think the Mags are a source of knowledge, but as he's said, he doesn't think you have knowledge of what amp you own, what country you reside in, and how many children reside in your house, either. Good to know where people are coming from! ;)

John