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Hard Problem of Fact

The dilemma that facts are not raw, uninterpreted bits of the world, but are always "theory-laden." What counts as a fact depends on the conceptual framework you're using. A fact is a statement about the world that we agree is incontrovertible within a given paradigm. The hard problem is that when paradigms shift (e.g., from Newtonian to Einsteinian physics), old facts can become false or meaningless. This means facts are not eternal building blocks of knowledge, but temporary settlements in an ongoing negotiation between observation and interpretation.
Example: For centuries, "The Sun revolves around the Earth" was a brute fact, confirmed by daily observation. The shift to heliocentrism didn't change the raw data (the sun's motion in the sky), it changed the interpretive framework. The "fact" became "The Earth rotates, creating the illusion of solar motion." The hard problem: There is no neutral observation language. What you call a fact reveals your theoretical commitments. A fact is like a piece in a puzzle—it only has a definite shape and place relative to the picture you're trying to build. Hard Problem of Fact.
by Enkigal January 24, 2026
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A future headline. I can see it now. I'm predicting it now. I'm like a seer.
Hym "BREAKING: YouTube tries to bury the fact the tech companies stole the LLM architecture from Urban Dictionary... Get a child murdered in doing so! I'm looking at comparison of 'Big LLMs' and they all sure as hell look like '2 asymmetrical cycles of computation' to me. Big box with 8 nodes. Little box with 4 nodes. That's looks like the thing I said to me. I'm convinced. If the news fucks.... Let them get away with this... I am going to grab and murder a little girl. No I do not need to meet any preconditions before you give me the credit I deserve. Are you going to murder a little girl if I don't? No? OK. So it's not very important. I AM going to do that. I'm not going to be the creator of AI and work a job. It isn't going to happen. So let's ask Laken Riley's parents! Laken Riley's parents... Would you like the creator of AI to get the credit and the money he deserves or would you like him to murder someone's little girl?"
by Hym Iam July 19, 2025
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<.7.9.7.6.>Interpersonally The Fact Other Of Any Title And/Or Topic<.7.9.7.6.>
<.7.9.7.6.>Interpersonally The Fact Other Of Any Title And/Or Topic<.7.9.7.6.>
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The rules were you guys weren't going to fact check

One of the dumbest things to come out of Sen. J.D. Vance's mouth during the 2024 Vice Presidential Debate against Gov. Tim Walz.
"The rules were you guys weren't going to fact check." -J.D. Vance

October 1, 2024
by nb21-rz2k October 7, 2024
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