Date: Tue, 09 Jun 1998 10:56:28 -0400
From: Louis Irwin <lirwin1-AT-ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: BHA: Reality, existence, and the Santa Clause


Hans,

This simple point is surely correct, and I doubt anyone on the list ever 
disputed it.  I think the matter that is really being discussed can be put 
in the following modification of your words:

"Santa is not real, but the social concept of Santa is.  Therefore Santa
himself cannot cause anything; the things which seem to be caused by Santa 
are really caused by the social relations associated with the social
concept of Santa."

Your response to your straw position does not touch this reformulation.

Louis Irwin

>Let me try to make my very simple point again.  Some of you,
>among others Colin, argue along the following lines: "Santa
>is not real, but the beliefs in Santa are.  Therefore Santa
>himself cannot cause anything; the things which seem to be
>caused by Santa are really caused by those who believe in
>Santa."
>
>This is wrong.  Children only believe in Santa because
>society systematically feeds them Santa stories.  The causal
>chain does not *start* with the children who believe in Santa,
>but the causal chain starts with those social mechanisms
>which generate Santa-stories.




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