Peter Jones writes: > Stathis Papaioannou wrote: > > Brent meeker writes: > > > > > Stathis Papaioannou wrote: > > > > John, > > > > > > > > Even a real solipsist might eat, sleep, talk to people etc., all under > > > > the impression that everything is a > > > > construction of his own mind. People willingly suspend disbelief in > > > > order to indulge in fiction or computer > > > > games, and a solipsist may believe that he is participating in the > > > > greatest and most perfect of games. I > > > > think that most real solipsists would eventually go mad and start to > > > > believe that the game is reality. > > > > > > And that would make a difference how? > > > > > > Brent Meeker > > > > It wouldn't make any difference: if solipsism were true, people would > > behave exactly as they do behave, > > most of them not giving the idea that there is no external world any > > consideration at all, the rest deciding > > that although it is a theoretical possibility, there is no practical > > purpose served by worrying about it. > > Their explanation, if they have any, as to why they behave > as they do would be peppered with "as ifs". Solipisism is > for people who prefer certainty to understanding.
And we can't have certainty, right? The only empirical fact I know for certain is that I am having a conscious experience *now*; everything else is extrapolation and tentative assumption. Given two explanations for why things are as they seem, the correct one X and the simplest that is consistent with the facts Y, we have to choose Y. If we choose X because we like the sound of it or something we are lost as far as discovering truth about the world goes - even though X happens to be correct in this case. Stathis Papaioannou _________________________________________________________________ Be one of the first to try Windows Live Mail. http://ideas.live.com/programpage.aspx?versionId=5d21c51a-b161-4314-9b0e-4911fb2b2e6d --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
