I hate to stick my oar in so late in the day. This thread took me a while to read and is certainly very thought provoking. I'm no student of philosophy, but the last time I had this argument was in a pub (with a philosophy student actually). The argument went on and on, round and round in circles and we became more and more inebriated. Though I conceded that I could not entirely prove the world around me actually existed, I would not admit that *I* did not exist. He said that the only consciousness one could actually prove was ones own, and every other being one came into contact with could conceivably be merely an extension of ones own consciousness.
Finally, he sat back and asked me to prove to him that I existed. Much to the amusement of everyone around us, I reached over and poured the remainder of my pint glass over his head. We all had a good chuckle, and that was that.
Ultimately, I cannot see how the rest of this universe could possible contained within my own being since there is so much of it I simply cannot comprehend. Nor can I see the validity in the argument that we are all the mental musings of some other life form (unless you're talking about God and creation, but that's another argument) because of my own passionate free will.
Can I prove any of it? Tragically, no. However, as Melusine says (and this I will remember):
Quote:
Originally posted by Melusine:
The world is SO real, so tangible, so intense....how can't it be true?? I KNOW I exist. I can't believe that my thoughts, the things I create (such as music, words on paper, etc.) are part of a large virtual reality of some kind. Exactly because we experience all this, it is made real.
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Choose to believe, or choose not to. As for my friend, he still believes that I am an extension of his awareness, and for that, I pity him
(edit: for critical failure on my 'use grammar' check)
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"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
[This message has been edited by Sharpedge (edited 08-23-2001).]