(September 22, 2013 at 8:43 am)Faith No More Wrote:(September 21, 2013 at 9:48 pm)Lion IRC Wrote: Back as the 1760's, the famous philosopher Immanuel Kant proposed that our knowledge of the outside world depends on our modes of perception.
It's interesting that you mention that, because Kant used that argument to demonstrate that metaphysics like the arguments in the OP could never be used to ascertain truth....
Different sentient beings have differing degrees of perception of the outside world. I'm not going to tell someone who has a metaphysical experience that they did NOT perceive anything.
John Locke conceded that you cant argue with or against metaphysics. You can try to keep it separate from other, more easily measured modes of defining reality, but metaphysics is virtually unassailable by our primitive empirical tools of science. (telescope, microscope, durometer, cash register...)
If 500 people claim they saw a miracle, how can science prove they did not? If my dog claims to hear voices which are inaudible to me, or thinks she can see stuff which I cant see (at night) is my dog going insane? Deluded?
