“Would it be that possibly I am asleep, as I
had myself argued earlier, or that all the thoughts that I now have are no more
true than the dreams we imagine when asleep? But even so, nothing would be
altered. For even if I were asleep, all that appears evident to my mind is
absolutely true.” (Descartes, 67)
Descartes utilizes the mind as his main tool to
ascertain reality, and, in accordance to this, that which he perceives clearly
and distinctly he ascribes to reality. Given that this is true, then how would
one prove that he is not dreaming? Dreaming is an activity of the mind;
therefore, you may still perceive clearly within a dream. In the case that you are
unable to awaken, that dream could become your reality. No matter how fantastic
the events and images may appear, the pieces of the ideas all have origin from
within what you perceive as reality. Therefore, there is nothing to
prove that the present reality that you perceive is actuality.
The finite
substances that you sense could just as easily be pieces of a different reality
that have been morphed by your imagination in order to fit into the rules of
this particular instance of reality. In addition, so long as no trigger is set
off in the referenced reality, you should never be able to realize that there is anything
wrong with the present one. The present is what you comprehend as true, because
it follows certain rules. However, because your mind controls your interpretation,
the rules could easily change just as in a dream from one reality to the next.
Ultimately, what plane you perceive
does not matter so long as you have the ability to comprehend the existence of
God. Because God is infinite substance, all finite substances remain a part of
this whole no matter what plane they exist on. It is all a part of a continuum,
meaning our perception is irrelevant. Only that we perceive is important and
confirms our existence.
Could an infinite number of
realities exist within the infinite substance?
How can we prove that we are awake or that what we presently perceive is the true reality?
(Sorry for the convoluted passage.)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.