What do you believe in that hasnt been proven to exist?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Yes, of course.


I think you've misunderstood me.  I do NOT think it is possible that the world's existence is predicated on my experience of it. 


OK, now I'm SURE you've misunderstood me.  I don't in any wise 'think it may or may not be there'.  I am of the belief that reality exists whether I'm aware it or not.  What I cannot do is prove that this is the case (which is the whole point of this thread).


I'm not sure it is useful to describe questions of reality, existence, or consciousness as 'meaningless', so it's fortunate for me that I wasn't proposing anything at all.  I do, however, agree that whether external reality exists is unknowable.  More to the point, it is also unprovable, which - again - is germane to the thread.

Boru

I think trying to assign such properties as knowable and provable to existence itself is an exercise in futility. Experience of the world is there. The world itself is there, in some sense, no matter what may turn out to be the case. Therefore, I still think this questioning of or indeed belief in reality is simply meaningless and useless at best.

I don't understand your contradiction. If the assigning the property 'knowable' to existence is futile, then how can 'experience of the world be there'?

Again, you're not getting what I'm saying. Yes, the world is there, however we take the meaning of 'there' - it is either there outside and irrespective of my consciousness, or it is 'there' only within my consciousness. I opt - without proof - for the former.

Please understand that I'm not trying to demonstrate that one view or another is correct, but simply answering the question posed in the thread title.

Boru