Can you prove to me, empirically, that any of you Yahoo answerers really exist, and are not merely figments of my imagination?
2007-02-28 22:21:27 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Because you can't have knowledge of anything if you assume naive realism, the whole background to your doubt must be false in order to construct a meaningful thought.
Empirical realism, on the other hand, is consistent with a meaningful world-- the one we actually inhabit, and not merely in any "seeming-so" kind of way. One doesn't perceive sense-data and make inferences, but objects directly in the world one inhabits. There are no holograms that can stand in for actual observation. You cannot help but believe humans exist with a mind like your own when you interact with them qua intentional systems. You cannot help it because most of experience is involuntary. Just as you cannot help hearing sounds, you cannot help interacting with persons on the knowledge that they are just like yourself.
2007-02-28 22:59:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Of course We are figments of your imagination.
Everything is. This is more easily understandable if one considers the actual scale of the components of an atom. If one takes into account the fact that the neutrons, protons and electrons of an atom actually have huge spaces between them it becomes clear that the atoms that make up seemingly solid objects are made up of 99+ percent empty space.
This alone does not seem too important till you add the idea that the atoms that make up seemingly solid objects are more of a loose conglomeration that share a similar attraction but never really touch each other.
At first glance this does not really seem relevant, but closer analysis reveals that this adds a tremendous amount of empty space to solid objects that are already made up of atoms that are 99 percent space. When so-called solid objects are seen in this light it becomes apparent that they can in no way be the seemingly solid objects they appear to be.
We ourselves are not exceptions to this phenomenon.
These seemingly solid objects are more like ghostly images that we interpret as solid objects based on our perceptual conclusions.
From this we must conclude that Perception is some sort of a trick that helps us to take these ghostly images and turn them into a world we can associate and interact with. This clever device seems to be a creation of our intellect that enables us to interact with each other in what appears to be a three dimensional reality.
I hope that helps to answered your question.
Love and blessings Don
2007-03-01 11:57:46 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because you are are merely a figment of our imagination until you come up with a normal question.
2007-03-01 06:24:29 · answer #3 · answered by mike_alegend 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I can't prove it to you.
However, I can convince you that you might as well believe that we are real.
This i kind of a "Pascal`s wager" situation.[1]
You can believe that people are figments of your imagination , or that they are real.
If they are indeed fictional and you believe that they are fictional -- you are OK, there is nothing you can do.
If they are indeed fictional and you believe that they are real -- you loose a little because you have to treat fictional people as real people
If they are real and you believe they are real -- you live a normal life.
BUT if they are real but you believe that they are fictional you will live a truly horrific lie. You will mistreat people thinking that they are zombies, you will not know love or compassion. You will loose a lot.
So the risks of assuming people to be fictional is far greater then assuming them to be real. So you might as well assume that people are real.
2007-03-01 12:21:46 · answer #4 · answered by hq3 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How do you know we don't exist? Maybe you're just a figment of my imagination.....Try this.....stop thinking about us and see if we don't all go away....
2007-03-01 06:26:13 · answer #5 · answered by theanswerman 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I exist and am responding to you who I think exists and that you are the one that posted this question.
If you think you did not post this question then you will ignore what you posted so that you will not read our answers.
Logic is as logic does.
2007-03-01 06:51:39 · answer #6 · answered by Uncle Remus 54 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not a figment of your imagination. If that was so, you must have helluva imagination.:)
2007-03-01 06:26:03 · answer #7 · answered by celianne 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We don't actaully exist. Yahoo! has developed some very sophisticated bots.
2007-03-01 06:26:10 · answer #8 · answered by Phartzalot 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
by giving me 2 points
2007-03-01 06:45:53 · answer #9 · answered by mikerapphone 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you should just ask for someones phone number and call them and tell them to let you see them on a web cam as you talk
2007-03-01 06:24:51 · answer #10 · answered by â?¥ Pawya! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋