We don't know anything objectively.
— Truth Seeker
False. Some obvious examples – "We know objectively" that no individual was born before her parents were born. "We know objectively" that we are natural beings whose existence is both consistent with physical laws and inseparable from nature itself. Also "we know objectively" that we cannot in any way know at any time 'all that is knowable'. — 180 Proof

I have no way to know that children, parents, the universe, the laws of physics, etc. are real. What if solipsism is true and I am the only being that actually exists and everything else is part of a hallucination or dream or illusion or simulation I am experiencing?

I agree with you. What if everyone and everything is part of a bubble of solipsism?

Thank you for your reply and recommendation. What are your core beliefs?

The reason I haven't taken my life is that would harm my family. I have a duty of care to them. I have a duty of care to all living things. I do my best to save and improve all lives, but I can't save and improve all lives despite my best efforts. 99.9% of all the species to evolve so far on Earth are already extinct. The remaining 0.1% will also die.

Thank you for your advice. You are lucky that you are not me and have not lived my life.

I don't know. I can't figure out the whole truth about reality. I wish all living things were all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful.

I understand that. My question is, do you think that my comment is contradictory with the OP? — Lionino

I am confused. I don't know. I wonder about solipsism. I can't prove or disprove it. I wonder about the Simulation Hypothesis. I can't prove or disprove that either. How would I know anything objectively? By "objective" I mean external to my mind or minds in general. By "subjective" I mean internal to my mind or minds in general.

That knowledge happens inside our heads doesn't matter, because that is included in the definition of "know" already. — Lionino

I understood the point you made and I realised that it is true. That's why I agree with you.

I agree.

I agree.

Why would anyone leave Bangladesh? — Athena

Different people have left Bangladesh for different reasons. Some have left to have a better standard of living in another country. Some have left because their lives were threatened in Bangladesh. Some have left to earn more money for their family. Some have left to have better education.

I think of Bangladesh as very exotic and with a rich history. — Athena

When I think of Bangladesh, I am flooded with sorrow about all the suffering, inequality, injustice and deaths. Please see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacks_by_Islamic_extremists_in_Bangladesh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_Bangladesh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Bangladesh_cyclone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floods_in_Bangladesh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Liberation_War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Bhola_cyclone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_famine_of_1943

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Bengal_famine_of_1770

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Plassey

In 1617, the Christian King James I of England & VI of Scotland, the one who authorised the King James Version of the Bible, offered friendship to the Muslim Emperor Jahangir. In return, Jahangir granted trading permission and tax-exempt status to the English East India Company. In 1757, the East India Compay stabbed the natives in the back and took power using deception, bribery and violence. The Company forced local farmers to grow cash crops instead of food crops. During the 1769 to 1773 famine, they increased tax 3 to 4 times the original tax - one would think the Company would remember that they were given tax-exempt status by Jahangir and consequently would give the natives a tax-exempt status but they did the very opposite. 10 million out of 30 million Bengalis died in that famine alone. Of course, there were many more famines during the British Rule:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_major_famines_in_India_during_British_rule

I would love to go back in time and prevent all suffering, inequality, injustice, and deaths. I would love to make all living things all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful but I can't.

What grounds, Seeker, do you have to doubt that "two bananas in a fruit ball" refers to more than just your "subjective sensory perception"? — 180 Proof

in 1999, I watched a movie called "The Matrix". Please see https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093 Have you seen it? If you have not, I highly recommend that you do. Ever since then, I have been wondering if the things I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell are really there or if they are a simulation. I can see the two bananas in my fruit bowl. I can touch them. I can peel them and eat them and experience their sweet taste. All of these are subjective experiences. How do I know that I am not in the Matrix?

By "subjective" I mean internal to minds. By "objective" I mean external to minds. How can we really know what is and what is not external to my mind? Solipsism can't be proven or disproven. The simulation hypothesis can't be proven or disproven.

Thank you for your detailed reply. I agree with you. By "objective" I mean "external to minds". By "subjective" I mean "internal to minds".

If objective knowledge is knowledge without reference to a mind, then it follows that no knowledge could ever be objective. — Count Timothy von Icarus

I totally agree with your statement above.

Thank you for explaining. I understand now. I agree.

I counted that there are two bananas in my fruit bowl. Is that an objective knowledge or a subjective sensory perception?

I am sorry, I don't understand what you said. Please clarify.

I agree.

I think we live in an objective world. That's why we can share our subjective thoughts using words. My subjective thoughts are being typed in this post and it will be perceived by your visual cortex. Both of us have subjective aspects but we can both engage with an objective reality.

You are right.

You are assuming that what is subjective is imaginary or self-refuting. How would I know anything objectively?

If we take death - or suicide - as something subjective, there could be a possibility that my dead corpse could be something true for some but for others don't. — javi2541997

I see the problem. Until someone knows that you have died (either by discovering your dead body or by hearing it from someone, etc.), they still think that you are still alive. For example, my uncle died on Wednesday. I didn't know about it until several hours after he had died. Even though he was dead, I still thought that he was alive until my mum told me that my uncle had suddenly died. I think that this means there is an objective reality which we become aware of through our subjective sensory perceptions. My uncle had died in the objective reality but I didn't become aware of it until my mum told me about it. Is the way I perceive the colour green identical to the way you or another person perceives the colour green?

Are you claiming that some experiences like death and suicide are dependent upon shared subjective truths to be plausible? — javi2541997

No, I am not claiming that. If you were to kill yourself tomorrow (I hope you don't), I wouldn't know about it unless I find your body or someone else finds your body and tells me about it. So, your dead body would be a shared subjective truth for everyone who sees your dead body.

https://ibb.co/MB9qBhL has a Venn diagram I have created to help convey what I mean.

I think that my claim is merely subjective. Just because it is subjective, does that necessarily mean that it's a belief? I see these words on the website. For me, the act of seeing the words is subjective. How would I know anything objectively? Here is a Venn diagram I created to explain what I mean https://ibb.co/MB9qBhL

It doesn't let me revise the poll question. I wanted to make it clearer. I don't think we can know anything objectively.

All of my sensory perceptions, thoughts, emotions, etc. are subjective. How can I possibly know anything objectively?

Yes, all of my sensory perceptions, thoughts, emotions, etc. are subjective. How can I possibly know anything objectively?

We can't know anything outside our subjective perceptions and understanding.

I agree.

It's written in their holy book. I don't agree with them. I think all religions are fiction made up by people.

Hinduism is more than 5,000 years old which makes it the oldest surviving religion on Earth. It has many Gods. Hindus believe that living things have immortal souls which reincarnate according to karma. The original Buddhism is atheistic.

Thank you.

:rofl:

I agree.

I live in the U.K. currently but I was born in Bangladesh. I have read the book "Brave New World" and I don't have the time to watch the movie but thank you for the recommendation. Governments are supposed to protect people but they don't always succeed.

It's possible I have misunderstood the Hindu concept of Maya which means illusion. I am not an expert on Hinduism. I only know what I have read about it.

In the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy, māyā, "appearance", is "the powerful force that creates the cosmic illusion that the phenomenal world is real".

- quoting from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(religion)

That's interesting. Time will tell. Thank you for telling me about it.

I believed Santa Claus was real.
I believed people live forever.
I believed if people die, then they come back to life in a few days of rest, after seeing the same action movie actor being killed in a movie, then a few weeks later, he was back in another movie fighting the gangsters.
I believed that old folks are born old, young folks like me are born young, and it will be like that forever.
I believed that my parents might be God, because they could buy me nice things.
I believed that the world is the size of my town where I lived.
I believed that when I am asleep, the world disappears, and I am the centre of the universe.
... etc etc. — Corvus

Thank you very much for sharing your childhood illusions with us. I didn't have any of your illusions. I was kidnapped when I was four years and five months old. I have experienced all kinds of horrors that I am not going to give you the gory details of as I don't want to traumatise you.

According to Hinduism, the entire universe is an illusion. I am not convinced that Hinduism is true. I am an agnostic atheist materialist monist hard determinist.

You are right. I am not a professional philosopher. I am not even studying philosophy.

I see your point. The above tips on How to Live a Fulfilling Life is free for all so the author is not making any money from it. It's written anonymously so the author is not receiving fame for it either.

I am just going by what I have observed. 99.9% of all the species to evolve so far on Earth are already extinct. The world is full of omnivores, carnivores, herbivores, and parasites. Why aren't all living things autotrophs the way all plants (except for carnivorous plants) are? It would be even better if all living things were nonconsumers. Human history and our present are full of violence, murder, war, exploitation, slavery, genocide, rape, torture, robbery, theft, etc. I have been kidnapped, raped, beaten up and robbed. Six of my relatives were murdered in separate incidents. My best friend was also murdered. The criminals got away with the crimes. If hard determinism is true, the criminals are not even morally culpable. "Might is right. Adapt or die" is what I have seen from my earliest memories to the present. I hate all the suffering, inequality, injustice, and death in the world. I wish we lived in a nice world where everyone is forever happy. I don't think it would be boring. If every living thing were all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful and owned an infinite number of universes each, how could we be bored?