Someone asked:
where do you guys usually start when dealing with someone who doubts reality? For example, when they say “how do I know anything is real”.
Here’s my quick take:
- Main point to keep in mind: One truly can’t be a global skeptic. Someone who try to doubt everything still believe in things they don’t doubt. There’s things he still take for granted.
- For example to raise “how do I know anything is real” the guy still presupposes the question that he raises is a real one. He doesn’t doubt he’s asking that question.
- He also assume a subject of knowledge exists ( subject being one who makes inquiry concerning what is and is not truth). He thinks a subject can factually can have epidemic question, such as what he is doing.
- Specifically for point three he thinks he’s the subject here. Note the “I” in the question “how do I know anything is real?”
- Also he assumes his mind exists and is functioning reliably.
- He’s also assuming his memory exists and reliable immediately after right after asking this question, with the memory that he asked this question.
- If he is talking to a Christian then this individual is also assuming another person exist to talk to.
- He also knows that the Christian he is talking to is not the same person as himself.
- Also the other person he’s talking to he assume has a mind.
- Point 9 of course assume things and minds outside of himself exists…and they are areal.
- He also knows his mind can use language.
- He’s assuming others he’s talking to also knows the same language as he does.
- Typically such an individual believe that in light of his radical doubt the proper thing is for others to have the obligation to furnish proof. This is a prescriptive norm he’s imposing. But it makes no sense to impose this if everything is an illusion, including this obligation.
- If everything is not real then what’s the difference between calling it real and unreal?
- Also ultimate skepticism is self-refuting: Is his belief about the lack of reality, his reality?
- If everything is an illusion then one cannot philosophically say everything is an illusion at all since any claim of something is an illusion require that claim being compared to something real; but there’s nothing real to begin with in the first place.
- Sometimes skeptics assume a methodology of knowledge driving his doubt is a hard faith in an extreme falsification verification principle. That is, he is assuming that something can be only be believed as real if in the attempt to falsify it with extreme doubt it is unavoidable and one still affirms its veracity. But this criteria self-defeats itself: he doesn’t subject this principle to extreme doubt. Moreover unlike points 2-16 we gave where there are somethings where the more we doubt them, the more we affirm them, this extreme falsification verification principle when we doubt it does not lead us to still unavoidably affirm this principle. So it is self-refuting.
- Per point 17, we should not resort to a reductionistic fallacy of only thinking that the only thing we can know are those establish by polar concept arguments. God has given us faculties to know truth and also God has revealed Himself. Romans 1 explains that person’s foolishness and motivation to suppress God given truth and exchanging it for a lie. He needs to repent to Jesus.
Items 8 and 13 especially stood out for me. How does he know the person he is talking to is not himself? How can he impose who has the burden of proof?
Good questions you raised! It’s interesting how the skeptic thinks other minds outside of himself should* agree that the person making a positive claim of something should *know they have the burden of proof…when everything about reality and knowledge is suspect! Thanks for highlighting that, have a blessed Friday brother
Thanks for the great overview. Seems like there is a whole lot of self deception going on.
excellent. here’s my way. I just pretend their words mean something entirely different and opposite of what they’re saying. Then when they contradict that, I change their meaning again. I like to point out that they have no logical reason to disagree at this point.
Good strategy!!! It exposes how they don’t even believe in their global skepticism
Your take is very logical to me, Pastor Jim. This question always blows my mind.
Thanks!! I thought I make this into a post since this ploy is used by non believers too frequently and it’s easier to share this as a link to believers who raises this question of what to say. I’m sure over the years you heard this question come up countless times?
Yes, I’ve heard it enough times that I hardly believe it is reality. (Had to have a little fun here or else I would be crying.)
Thanks much for these steps!
You are welcome thanks for reading this sister! Hope you have a blessed Memorial Day weekend!! Are you doing anything different for the long weekend?
Our job is to plant. God does the growing and harvesting.
And the Seed planted is itself powerful proof to their hearts
Excellent response! Questioning reality proves reality. When a person is lost they substitute all kinds of philosophical foolishness for God.
Indeed you are right: “ When a person is lost they substitute all kinds of philosophical foolishness for God.” Just got home from another funeral service. How is your shift today this Friday???
RE: Friday
Thanks! Lots of orders this weekend. Busy as a beaver. Probably no down time for audits. Hope you have a good prep day!
Share truth:
He has planted eternity in the human heart.
Eccl 3:11 NLT
Romans 1:18-32
Amen.
Conforming to this world means adopting its godless worldview.
And that means becoming kind of bestial. Just look our world today…
You are right about how people in their sins in society have become more beast-like. I had to look up the term bestial
Consistent Materialists are incapable of reasoning since reason requires the laws of logic which are not material. Hence a godless worldview reduces humans to non-rational animals.
The skeptic assumes too much! I’m sure there’s still things one can add to your lists
These systematic points would help me to bring these issues up the next time I talk to someone about Christianity and they turn out to be a skeptic
Skepticism is desperation not to believe in God and His reality
[…] 8.) Question: How do we answer a skeptic who radically doubt reality? […]