Re: OT: Reality (was: Re: Atlantean)

Christophe Grandsire scripsit:

> Simply that we have common illusions. Not impossible as such. Ever heard
> of collective hallucinations?
I've heard of them, but I don't believe the reports!

> Of course, but it's not a *belief*. It's something I just cannot doubt.
> Because when I'm doubting, I cannot doubt that I'm doing the doubting. I
Sure you can.  You can deny the existence of an "I" who doubts; the doubt
itself might be completely free-standing.  The really dubious part of
"cogito ergo sum" is the -o and -m endings.  :-)

> Of course not. But is it meaningful or just a limitation of my own mind?
> I don't know. And it still doesn't prove to me the existence of an
> outside objective reality.
         After we came out of the church, we stood talking for some
         time together of Bishop Berkeley's ingenious sophistry to
         prove the nonexistence of matter, and that every thing in
         the universe is merely ideal. I observed, that though we
         are satisfied his doctrine is not true, it is impossible
         to refute it. I never shall forget the alacrity with
         which Johnson answered, striking his foot with mighty
         force against a large stone, till he rebounded from it --
         "I refute it *thus*."
                --Boswell's _Life of Johnson_

--
John Cowan  jcowan@reutershealth.com  www.ccil.org/~cowan  www.reutershealth.com
"The competent programmer is fully aware of the strictly limited size of his own
skull; therefore he approaches the programming task in full humility, and among
other things he avoids clever tricks like the plague."  --Edsger Dijkstra

Reply