Theology IV

[Lief Erikson]

Originally Posted by Coffeehouse

Aristotle puts it well:
"But if life itself is good and pleasant (...) and if one who sees is conscious that he sees, one who hears that he hears, one who walks that he walks and similarly for all the other human activities there is a faculty that is conscious of their exercise, so that whenever we perceive, we are conscious that we perceive, and whenever we think, we are conscious that we think, and to be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious that we exist..."

And how do you know that you're conscious that you're perceiving or thinking or existing? This is rather like the old, debunked Descartes position, "I think therefore I am." You have to take it on faith (perhaps supported by evidence) that your brain is operating in a manner that is fully functional. You're trusting something no matter what.