Non-existence

[Jon Paul]

I just say that "This" is reality. This experience, whether other minds exist or not (and yes, for the record - I believe they do, lol).

So you appeal to personal experience. Fine.

On what grounds do you believe that other minds exist, again? Personal experience, I presume?

And on what grounds do most people accept the existence of God? Personal experience, exactly.

Whatever we 'call it', whether we say it's real or not, it makes no difference. So I just say it exists because if it didn't exist then I wouldn't exist to be discussing this.

The question whether reality actually is real or exists, is not about whether you seem to be doing what you seem to be doing (e.g. being here discussing), because you would seem to be doing that if you were a Matrix-style brain in a vat as well. The question is if any of reality actually exists (outside our minds), and if it does, then what you appeal to to justify that claim. All you can really appeal to is presupposition due to personal experience, and the same is the case with the existence of other minds.

So I think the whole idea of whether reality is real or not, or the universe exists or not, is just semanticial. Whether we say it does or not - it makes no actual difference its just words.

It makes no difference whether everything is an illusion, arbitrary sense-data fed to you by a computer, or actually real?

I would say it makes very much of a difference, whether everything and everyone I know and hold dear to exist is actually just an illusion, digits coming from a computer, or real things and real minds just like me, who I can have a real relationship to.