That said, I have no idea whatsoever how human consciousness shapes not only the present, but the past as well. — Bitter Crank
The universe revolves around me, so should I not exist, it'd stop revolving. Yes, a revolving universe. That's what I said. — Hanover
To call something a universe would be an act of description. So without us, there would be nothing that you can describe as a universe.
If there were no atoms unless somebody said "atom" then there would be no atoms composing the brain and tongue required to utter the word "atom". So atoms would never exist, and neither would we. — Bitter Crank
What isn't it the case that what exists shapes human consciousness? That makes more sense to me than the other way around. Matter makes the man. — Bitter Crank
If you believe, as I do, that the idea of objective reality is not the best way to understand the nature of existence, then the world is a mixture of what is inside us and outside us. — T Clark
What makes the world knowable (to me) is the decision to look at it objectively. I wasn't all that well prepared to be objective, having messed around with a lot of mystical stuff for a decade or so. — Bitter Crank
nature none the less made very big, very small, and many intermediate sizes of green things, and they are all discrete, unique, separate. — Bitter Crank
Well, Rutherford discovered quite a few things about atoms in fairly short order, because he assumed there was order and structure to the universe, and to the atoms which make up the universe. I like that. It takes nothing away from the world to know that matter is ordered and structured. — Bitter Crank
What does that mean? — Bitter Crank
there couldn't even be a universe in the first place because the concept of a universe is a human invention. — Purple Pond
Without us, nothing is describable because descriptions require a set of conventions called language and is invented by human society. If humans never existed, then everything would be completely indescribable. To call something a universe would be an act of description. So without us, there would be nothing that you can describe as a universe. — Purple Pond
By subjective idealism do you mean the idealism of Berkeley? Who refuted it? I know Samuel Johnson thought he did so by kicking a stone, but he was just an overweight and overrated lexicographer."Subjective idealism, which appears to be what you are proposing, is refutable on a number of levels." — jastopher
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.