Combining Texts

Ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'The Statesman' and 'The German Ideology'

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2 ideas

7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 6. Physicalism
Philosophical problems are resolved into empirical facts [Marx/Engels]
     Full Idea: Every profound philosophical problem is resolved quite simply into an empirical fact.
     From: K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.B)
     A reaction: This shows that empirical accounts of metaphysics are not just a branch of British empiricism, but are a basic fact of any materialist view of the world. The influence of David Hume, however, hovers behind this Marxist doctrine.
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 8. Facts / b. Types of fact
There are simple and complex facts; the latter depend on further facts [Chrysippus, by Cicero]
     Full Idea: Chrysippus says there are two classes of facts, simple and complex. An instance of a simple fact is 'Socrates will die at a given date', ...but 'Milo will wrestle at Olympia' is a complex statement, because there can be no wrestling without an opponent.
     From: report of Chrysippus (fragments/reports [c.240 BCE]) by M. Tullius Cicero - On Fate ('De fato') 13.30
     A reaction: We might say that there are atomic and complex facts, but our atomic facts tend to be much simpler, usually just saying some object has some property.