Truth.. and what you know

[bennyboy]

You can have truth, but you can only know whether your ideas are true in a given context.

In the context of eating an apple, it is true that I am enjoying it. Whether the apple and I "really" exist, or whether I'm just an illusion, or a figment of the Mind of God, or a character in the Matrix, is not knowable. That transcendent context is not accessible to us. But eating an apple will always just be eating an apple. And that's truth.

You seem to be confusing existence with a particular type of existence. After all, it was never in question that Neo existed in the Matrix, only what the nature of that existence was (virtual).

I'm pretty sure that's what I just said.

The problem comes when people have ideas that they think represent a truth of a level that is inaccessible to humans-- for example, if they claim to know why the universe exists rather than not existing. That is delusion, and possibly pride as well.

If they claim to know - especially if they claim no possibility of error - I'd agree. However, I think one can have a reasonable, defensible belief on this matter, given certain philosophical views.

"given certain philosophical views" establishes a context. For example, given the philosophical view of physical monism, it is necessarily true that mind is a physical property.


The problem occurs when a thick layer of reasoning is founded on a philosophical assumption, so that people lose sight of that original root. Then, inevitably, that massive construction is taken as sufficient proof to justify the assumption. But circles never work. NEVER, I say.