Ben:
>I enjoy our debate, as long as you understand I am not continuing it out of
>spite.  I simply enjoy discussing matters with others because they help me
>to see things more fully.

Exactly. Me too! Much of why I enter these frays it for the parlor game fun
of self-definition, or perhaps I should say self un-definition. ;)

>I think that after reading our posts, these are the
>general conclusions that I will agree with about diet vs. allopathic
>medicine:

>a) while diet ensures good general health, it is not the answer to all
>health concerns

It would be great if diet _ensured_ good general health, but it doesn't. It
is something we can have control over (ie what we eat) and it behooves us
to eat well (if we can figure out exactly what "well" might mean), but we
agree that it is not the answer to all health concerns.

>b) while allopathic medicine has its applications (especially in
>emergencies), it is not the   only answer to good health.

Agreed.

>c) while certainly our own paradigms can limit us, we do not have to accept
>other's paradigms.

We don't have to accept _any_ paradigms as our world view. I struggle with
this at times as it seems that I innately want to believe in _something_.
Whether this desire is neurotic in nature or "inbred" from our evolutionary
social/mental development or both, I'm not sure. Nevertheless, slowly but
surely, my new paradigm is becoming something of an un-paradigm--if one has
no paradigmical (is that a word?) ax to grind, reality ends up being closer
to home, if more untidy ;)

>d) while many different theories can exist (i.e. we can be understanding to
>one another) on how to acheive optimal health, it does not mean they are all
>true.

Exactly. I would venture to say they must all be _false_. Any theory can
not be comprehensive and consistant at the same time, and any theory will
not describe experience fully. Since all theory can only (weakly)
approximate reality, it seems reasonable to 1] incorporate the most
_useful_ theories (if they can be discerned ;)), and 2] never forget the
limitations of any theory, and 3] remember that what is useful for one
individual may not be the same as what is useful for another.

At the risk of sounding silly ;) I would conclude that in the end, reality
is a damn sight more interesting and wonderful than theory. And while my
big brain clearly enjoys simplifying reality into theory this or theory
that, if I always keep firmly in mind the limitations of theory, I can
enjoy such musing (and my personal experimenting based on various theories)
as I might enjoy a delightful board game--all the while preventing any
particular board game (theory, diet, etc) from becoming my life, which
should be a more than a board game, and more than a medium to promote a
particular theory. (It also puts me in the position of being able to more
easily crap-detect many theories, from fruitarianism to instincto to
allopathy.)

If that makes any sense ? ;)

Cheers,
Kirt