By We may all have come into existence five minutes ago, provided with ready-made memories, with holes in our socks and hair that needed cutting.
—Bertrand Russell, as quoted in Richard Dawkins’ The Greatest Show On Earth
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45 Comments
Or we may not exist at all.
I refute it thus!
ow…
I’m sorry, injured big toes just aren’t very convincing. Try just making stuff up. It works with a surprisingly large number of people!
A solid kick in the balls usually serves to convince solipsists that the external world does indeed exist.
Oh you think you’re being tricky when you programmed the simulated pain, eh?
People can try to rationalize the experience, but excruciating physical pain does make a very compelling argument that is hard to ignore. I think the reptile part of the brain takes precedence over the logical part under such circumstances, and the reptile part tells you that it is very real.
But yeah, there’s no real proof against solipsism, of course. But neither is there any reason to entertain the belief of those people, since you’re free to ignore it whether you’re a figment of someone’s imagination or not.
Come to think of it, that pain thing does make things seem more realer.
Besides, you will feel a lot better!
This also works with those that think morality is completely relative. lol
And Barry, what are you getting at?
Under some circumstances I can see that there might be a pressing moral need to kick someone in the balls. I’ve often thought Rick Warren should volunteer as a test case.
no your right a kick in cahones can be used as moral retribution as well, or to sell a show, go johhny k!
Re. a kick in the balls and solipcism
Why would you do that to yourself?
I just think if we really existed things would seem more realer.
Of course you don’t exist, I just imagined you (or at least I think I remember imagining you).
To be fair, God could have created us in the last 5 minutes too. Who knows?
Me. But I’m not telling.
Heresy! Everyone knows the world was created last Thursday.
Unless Mr Russel was writing very early on Wednesday morning, he’s manifestly wrong!
For that matter, the world could’ve been created five minutes ago, by a god that came into being ten minutes ago.
Or by a God so awesome that, though he only came into the world 5 minutes ago, he created the world 10 minutes ago.
though he only came into *being* 5 minutes ago, he created the world 10 minutes ago.
..because, I mean, how could he come into a world he hasn’t created yet…
That would be far awesomer than your god!
Like I imagine it says somewhere in the Bible, “Is there anything too hard for God?”
“Like I imagine it says somewhere in the Bible, “Is there anything too hard for God?””
How about “Dear God, Convince Ben to become a Christian”
FAIL
Or a second ago, or a second ago, or a second ago ….
Well, everything around us points to the fact that it has been around for quite a while, so … Occham’s Razor?
It’s easiest to believe that the geologic column (and my list of credit card charges running back the last few months) were not created just to trick us, so that’s what I’ll believe.
Point is, once you let magic into the equation, everything is possible
This is just an over simplification of Tuesdaeism where the great Lord TUESDAE creats the world just as we precieve it on every tuesday of the week and then destroys it every monday night. And the cycle restarts every tuesday. All Hail the awesome TUESDAE!!!!
No-one listen to the apostate CybrgnX.
Everyone should follow LAST Tuesdayism.
For all you know, we’re the simulation of Earth 1.0.
One day we will wake up and discover that god is the neighbours computer nerd that created this virtual reality we just played.
Have you ever seen the film The Thirteenth Floor?
Maybe the Earth & all Humanity have just been destroyed in a Galactic War, & what we are experiencing at the moment is “our lives flashing before our eyes”? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Or maybe, we have already experienced “our lives flashing before our eyes”, & have got to the end of our “replay”, & are experiencing ourselves experiencing the replay?????????
- Or maybe it’s the replay within the replay? – Or the replay within that? – Or the replay………………………………….
“How do you know the color blue to you is the color blue to me?”
“Look at the damn crayon box, moron!”
Paraphrased from Dennis Miller
Also, the only moment we can ever live in is now. Now has no past. It has no future. It is always now. We don’t really get that. Dogs do, They understand very well, I’m sure pet owners know, that it is always now. They are not thinking about the past. They ain’t thinking about the future. Its always now. Maybe that’s why dog is god spelled backwards. They are at opposite ends of the spectrum in their relationship to time. God is concerned with infinity. Dog is concerned with now. God is concerned with the past and the future. Dog is concerned with now.
It is always now.
mmmmmm….. when i get my dogs’ leash, & put on my shoes, my dog gets very excited? – Is she excited about my shoes & her leash, or the walk that she knows is about to happen? – Also, what about Pavlovs’ dog salivating every time he rang a bell just before he fed it?
p.s – i didnt write “your comment is waiting moderation” – the site generated that.
“ess-CAH-pay”, hm, that’s weird, it’s spelled just like escape
oh well, it was there when i posted the comment, – wonders never cease.
,” what about Pavlovs’ dog ”
D’Oh! :)
I think I heard Pavlovs’ dog went on to have a short – but successful career as a drummer in a 70s’ progressive rock band!
Makes me want to watch Blade Runner for the 332nd time (=once more).