NobodyListens2Genius wrote:I will try to be as simple and clear as possible so that readers can understand my meaning, rather than getting caught up in details or problems they might see.
Real: It exists despite me. If I were gone it would still be there. It was not created by my imagination. Other perspectives can experience it also.
Imaginary: It exists in my mind. If I were gone it would also be gone. It was created by my imagination and I am the only person that has experienced it.
What we must agree on:
Based on this distinction between Real and Imaginary, I hope we can all agree that if only one person existed, he could never distinguish between what was Real or Imaginary as he could never find a second perspective to confirm what he has seen or thought.
The Story:
Chang1 is alone in the desert his whole life and cannot remember how he came to be. His memory only goes so far. Chang1 comes across a man named Chong2. Chang1 doesn’t know if his friend Chong2 is an imaginary friend or a real friend. Chang1 is there his whole life and never sees another person besides Chong2.
Chang1 realizes he can never be sure if his friend is real or imaginary as he’s never met anyone else who could verify Chong2’s existence. Chong2 seems to think he’s real, but Chang1 is smart enough to doubt, keeping in mind chong2 could be part of his experience and imagination.
Chang1 and Chong2 come across another man in the desert named Chung3. Chang1 thinks: *Finally I can find out if Chong2 is real by asking Chung3!*
But before Chang1 asks Chung3 he realizes that whatever Chung3’s answer is, it wouldn’t verify Chong2’s existence, as Chung3 and Chong2 might BOTH be imaginary.
Chang1 is at a loss. He doesn’t know what to think anymore and starts to doubt everything that he sees, he realizes that without any other verifiable perspectives to confirm what he sees, he can never be sure if anything he thinks or sees is real or imaginary. He realizes that just because he can see it and feel it, this does not confirm its existence in anyway because he does not know if he can trust his own senses, as they too may be imaginary. He knows he can have imaginary senses in dreams so this idea sounds very possible to him. He also knows he can create illusionary scenarios in dreams and believe they are real at the time.
Chang1 then leaves the desert and finds a whole world full of 6 billion other people, but despite their constant confirmation, complexity, and consistency, this is not enough to relieve chang1 of his doubt. He does not know if all 6 billion other people and the world are imaginary or real.
Chang1 then starts to live life believing that everything is imaginary, as he can never confirm its existence, and believing in something with zero confirmation is the same as saying that any illusion you see must be real, even if you are the only one that can see it.
Chang1 then realizes that all ideas he had thought of before, including the ideas of death, beginnings and ends, reasons and even his own logic, are all only ideas that he himself had or experienced. And with no confirmation, as he only has one perspective, he realizes that all of the ideas must be considered as false, until at least one single piece of evidence can point toward them being real.
The end.
In short, how can I know that anything I experience, including this forum, my girlfriend, and other people’s ideas are real or Imaginary?
I only have my perspective and therefore everything I know comes from me.
I cannot think of one single shred of evidence that points toward this experience being Real.
An illusion is still an illusion if it is complex, consistent or convincing.
I can talk to people in dreams, but they are born from me.
My question is, what is something that would point to this reality and the people in it being Real?
You MUST try and come up with this evidence while pretending that you were the only person in existence.
( Think your answer over before posting, as many times I have thought of reasons only to remember my own logic cannot be confirmed.)
You can't prove that everything is real, but you can determine a Universe to be made from real physics even if it isn't this one. When you fully understand the Universe, there is only one way to create it, and therefore, if this reality is false, you have a fully working model template in your head. With a working template you can only ask.. "If this isn't a real Universe, and the people aren't real, then why do I have the inventiveness to create the physics of a real Universe in my head?" Having solved the Theory Of Everything I sometime wonder if this is a simulation. If this is a simulation, and it includes the Big Bang as a starting point, then the simulation has been made from unnatural physics created inside a computer a bit like Mario World. You can't create a Universe from a Big Bang, it is unnatural, I have the real physics worked out. So is this a faulty simulation, or is it a real Universe full of stupid scientists?
