It's very simple: have someone play "peek-a-boo" with you. If you are surprised everytime that person pops out from hiding and says "peek-a-boo," than for you, no, your friends and family do not exist when they are not around you.
If you are not surprised, then congrats, my friend. You have acquired "object permanence," a milestone in cognitive development, not just for people but for many animal species as well.
Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
You could touch the cup. If you don't, it is more logical to assume that it is still there, than to imagine you are creating it by perception. This is a trick that works on babies.
Originally posted by Victor Von DoomAccording to quantum physics you don't really actually touch anything.
You could touch the cup. If you don't, it is more logical to assume that it is still there, than to imagine you are creating it by perception. This is a trick that works on babies.
Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
Actually, I think Debbie is here to test me.
True, I am on a mission from god.......Just like the Blues Brothers. 🙄
Originally posted by The Crab
Debbie is my personal angel!!
I am?.........Look I said "I AM".....
Originally posted by Mindship
It's very simple: have someone play "peek-a-boo" with you. If you are surprised everytime that person pops out from hiding and says "peek-a-boo," than for you, no, your friends and family do not exist when they are not around you.If you are not surprised, then congrats, my friend. You have acquired "object permanence," a milestone in cognitive development, not just for people but for many animal species as well.
All this would prove is that we have a memory.....but memory is still only in the mind, a part of consciousness, if something exists in your memory then it is being perceived by ur consciousness, so it exists ... 😕
Originally posted by Victor Von DoomWithout going to a bunch of writing it comes down to particle wave theories...
Please do elaborate.
Here's a quick one that might explain, but particle waves are what photons can change into only blending into each other, not actually touching the other object at all...There is much written on it, and could post later, just here is a quick link...All things are blended, connected at this sub atomic level
http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Physics-Quantum-Theory-Mechanics.htm
http://www.physlib.com/quantum_mechanics.html
There are many books out there on the market such as the Universe and Multiple Reality, and The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot....I can't explain it as well as others do....But when you get into the subatomic levels, things do not appear as we see or sense them.
Re: Re: Do people you know exist if they're not around you?
Originally posted by Biscuit
Iv always wondered this as well, its a massive philosophical debate first proposed by Berkeley, an Irish Bishop. He believed that no object can exist unless it is being perceived, or as he put it "esse est percipi" meaning - to be is to be perceived. This is known as idealism and although it seems to be feasible (or at least i think so) there are several critical difficulties which make it, according to most other philosophers, logically impossible. If nothing can exist without being perceived then it seems that things constantly flash in and out of being, but where do they go? Berkeleys argument against this was that God perceives everything all the time and therefore objects retain a continuos existence.
So to believe in idealism you are claiming also to believe in God, and if you don't believe in God then neither can you believe the idealist theories.
Berkeley was often ridiculed for his beliefs - after talking to a friend, he was leaving when they said to him "Pray, Sir, don't leave us; for we may perhaps forget to think of you, and then you will cease to exist" Indeed, this highlights flaws in Berkeleys theory.However, from my personal point of view, i don't see how it can be proven that things exist unperceived so why does it make sense to believe that, obviously animate objects/beings can perceive themselves and therefore prove their existence but it's impossible to know whether the cup on the table next to me exists when i close my eyes and don't perceive it in any way...no-one can ever know this, we can only assume.
Point proven 🙂
I believe people still exist even if I'm not around them.
Originally posted by Biscuit
All this would prove is that we have a memory.....but memory is still only in the mind, a part of consciousness, if something exists in your memory then it is being perceived by ur consciousness, so it exists ... 😕
Exactly. Mind/memory permits a reliable "reality continuity," a mental awareness of things which supplements and transcends sensory awareness. This is why an older child is no longer amused at peek-a-boo. She knows the object exists even when she can no longer see it.