QUESTION
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JER. 17.9.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
PRO. 28:26.
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
in the Hebrew, when referring to the 'heart', it is an idiom for the 'mind'...every sense
is interpreted through our brains, so, as it is written, 'The just shall live by Faith', and again
we walk not by sight, but by Faith'...
but, to conclude, James tells us that those who 'have The Spirit, are of sound mind'...
but, there is 'the struggle', ROMANS 7...
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
PRO. 28:26.
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
in the Hebrew, when referring to the 'heart', it is an idiom for the 'mind'...every sense
is interpreted through our brains, so, as it is written, 'The just shall live by Faith', and again
we walk not by sight, but by Faith'...
but, to conclude, James tells us that those who 'have The Spirit, are of sound mind'...
but, there is 'the struggle', ROMANS 7...
You can't see angels by eyes of flesh alone. In fact when I was last visited by who I think was the angel of the Lord, when I opened my eyes, I couldn't see.
I think it's the same with hearing. You don't hear God's voice with your ears, but in your spirit.
Though what we sense around us is real, it's only temporary and only part of what exists.
Edit: I mean angels in their light form.
I think it's the same with hearing. You don't hear God's voice with your ears, but in your spirit.
Though what we sense around us is real, it's only temporary and only part of what exists.
Edit: I mean angels in their light form.
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You are still not understanding what I am asking. What I want to know is, how do we know that we can trust our five sense to tell us certain truths about the world around us? Let me give you an example? When you are looking at any object, how do know that your eyes are telling you the truth about what you are seeing? How do you know fire is hot?
senses can easily be fooled - and there are many examples of substances, forces and events that take place which cannot be perceived by human senses alone. additionally there is an abundance of evidence suggesting that substances, forces and events occur which cannot be currently observed even by specialized measuring devices.
much of our knowledge about the universe and reality is reached by inference rather than by direct observation - in fact, all our own bodily senses, if we consider the brain to be the seat of our own consciousness, are experienced by inference within the brain. the brain itself receives information from neural networks and from such organs as the ears and eyes, which is transmitted by synaptical discharges. what we actually perceive, then, is a field of electrical impulses and potential voltages. we interpret this field as sensations such as touch and smell, but this is inference, and it is well-documented that the brain itself can be 'fooled' into sensing things that the sensory organs themselves are not experiencing.
if the brain, essentially a measuring device, can be mistaken about reality, how much more the intellect, which operates on inference from a variety of measurements?
much of our knowledge about the universe and reality is reached by inference rather than by direct observation - in fact, all our own bodily senses, if we consider the brain to be the seat of our own consciousness, are experienced by inference within the brain. the brain itself receives information from neural networks and from such organs as the ears and eyes, which is transmitted by synaptical discharges. what we actually perceive, then, is a field of electrical impulses and potential voltages. we interpret this field as sensations such as touch and smell, but this is inference, and it is well-documented that the brain itself can be 'fooled' into sensing things that the sensory organs themselves are not experiencing.
if the brain, essentially a measuring device, can be mistaken about reality, how much more the intellect, which operates on inference from a variety of measurements?
OUTSTANDING! This is what I want to hear. The natural world is accessible to us strictly based on representations. This is how God has created us. This is how we are designed to function. We are not able to have direct contact with material objects except through the sensorium. Our sensory abilities can be blocked in such a way that we lose all perception of concrete objects. If we are unable to experience an object through our senses, for us this object ceases to exist. This does not mean that the object vanishes from material existence or that it never really existed to begin with. It simply means that we cannot have direct contact with it. Since we have no actual direct contact with the world, we must learn to rely upon the information transmitted to us in the form of representations. We rely upon these abstract representations to convey accurate information to us about our world.
N
the only certain UNCHANGING truth is God and his word
but ok from a worldly perspective
the answer is
tests that can be replicated every attempt
for instance
if we break 1 stick in half
it becomes 2 pieces
this is truth
the only variable is if you break the stick improperly or more than once
it may become 3 or more
or stay connected as 1
but ok from a worldly perspective
the answer is
tests that can be replicated every attempt
for instance
if we break 1 stick in half
it becomes 2 pieces
this is truth
the only variable is if you break the stick improperly or more than once
it may become 3 or more
or stay connected as 1
This is delving far into the realm of philosophy... or at least, could. You seem to be postulating a discrepancy between the universe as actuality ("the real world") and the universe as we sense it ("the perceived world"). Of course there is a difference, but we accept that our conscious "image" of the real world is an adequate and acceptably-truthful representation.
There may be such a discrepancy between real and perceived, but at its core we cannot know about it. Therefore, in terms of our experience, the real world is the same as the perceived world. There are certainly aspects of the real world about which we do not yet know, for our investigation of it has not yet revealed those aspects. However, given that we can reasonably expect that the world on one day will be substantially and reliably similar to that of the day previous, we can go about our business without worrying about it.
The question is the root of observational science. If we can test a hypothesis about the real world repeatedly and come up with the same results, we can continue on as though that hypothesis is truth. We use our five senses to investigate the real world, and can rely on the results that they deliver. Of course there are situations wherein we expect certain results which do not occur, but that is more likely due to inadequate understanding or inadequate information rather than unreliability of our senses. They can be tricked, and we know that. Further, we generally have a good idea of the ways in which they can be tricked, so we can work around those things.
Conclusion: the real world, while incompletely understood, can be reliably and truthfully understood through our senses. I believe that God designed us this way, to function in the world by interacting with it through our senses.
There may be such a discrepancy between real and perceived, but at its core we cannot know about it. Therefore, in terms of our experience, the real world is the same as the perceived world. There are certainly aspects of the real world about which we do not yet know, for our investigation of it has not yet revealed those aspects. However, given that we can reasonably expect that the world on one day will be substantially and reliably similar to that of the day previous, we can go about our business without worrying about it.
The question is the root of observational science. If we can test a hypothesis about the real world repeatedly and come up with the same results, we can continue on as though that hypothesis is truth. We use our five senses to investigate the real world, and can rely on the results that they deliver. Of course there are situations wherein we expect certain results which do not occur, but that is more likely due to inadequate understanding or inadequate information rather than unreliability of our senses. They can be tricked, and we know that. Further, we generally have a good idea of the ways in which they can be tricked, so we can work around those things.
Conclusion: the real world, while incompletely understood, can be reliably and truthfully understood through our senses. I believe that God designed us this way, to function in the world by interacting with it through our senses.
God made us human and He gave us these senses for a reason. It is with these senses
that we were given to use that we come ever closer to Him. So while these senses are
not perfect, they have the qualities to work for perfection. We will never be perfect in
this world but that should never deter us from striving for perfection. This separates
us from the rest of creation which in no way has the discernment that we have. Glory
to God in the highest.
that we were given to use that we come ever closer to Him. So while these senses are
not perfect, they have the qualities to work for perfection. We will never be perfect in
this world but that should never deter us from striving for perfection. This separates
us from the rest of creation which in no way has the discernment that we have. Glory
to God in the highest.
Our senses can be altered due to many things. During my radiation treatments things began to taste different. Even illness can affect how you hear, taste, see. Another example is being color blind - you see red instead of green, etc. Our senses are subjective.
What is becoming more and more real to me are the spiritual things not experienced by my senses. But there are some moments when God allows our senses to taste, hear and even smell those spiritual things. For instance, my daughter heard God speak audibly to her. It completely changed her life. I have smelled the fragrance of the Holy Spirit after praying in a room.
What is becoming more and more real to me are the spiritual things not experienced by my senses. But there are some moments when God allows our senses to taste, hear and even smell those spiritual things. For instance, my daughter heard God speak audibly to her. It completely changed her life. I have smelled the fragrance of the Holy Spirit after praying in a room.