Facts are only appearances which we have decided to believe are factual
It is accepted by many schools of philosophy that the world presents only appearances to us. Facts are deduced from the appearances, according to the various factions, by pure reason or by a combination of pure reason and sense data in tandem, or by pure reason and sense data aided and abetted by creative intuition, but in any case, they are deduced, not given. What is called a “fact” is just another appearance which somebody has decided to believe is fact.
Every emic reality is a means of segregating appearances, so that those that fit our personal reality tunnel can be accepted as real “facts” and those that do not fit are quickly discarded as “only” appearances. All appearances seem to be facts, at first, to whom they appear. But We ordinarily perceive reality through subjective biases shaped by our craving and attachments, thus If they are bizarre, if they don’t fit our reality tunnel, and if they go away quickly, we are happy to dismiss them as “only” appearances, or as misconceptions. If they keep coming back, we may question our sanity, or we may eventually accept them as “facts.” Redundance is a great persuader.
A fact allegedly exists; a non-fact allegedly does not exist. But existence is something we can never know about. It’s a term in metaphysics, not operational science. It is awkward to believe that micro organisms simply did not exist until we invented microscopes to see them, or that galaxies did not exist until telescopes that were powerful enough to see them were developed.
References
- Wilson, A., Robert. (1986). The New Inquisition Irrational Rationalism and the Citadel of Science Chapter 3 Two More Heretics and Other Blasphemies. (Page 92 · Location 1824). Grand Junction, Colorado: Hilaritas Press.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Psychology / Philosophy / Epistemology / Ontology / Logic Status:☀️