Parmenides played a word game with Socrates in which he first logically argued that "All is one," and then reversed his own argument to show that "One is not." Apparently, his first argument implied that there can be no such thing as nothingness, but his reversed argument implied that there can be no such thing as something. The skeptics took these two arguments a little further by asserting that the "All" consists of mere illusory appearances, and therefore, one can never distinguish that which is true from that which is false. They arrived at this conclusion because they reasoned that there exists no logical method to tell whether "All is one," or the "One is not."
The logical and apparent truth of the matter is that appearances and nothingness blend together to create the world of the senses and the world of the mind. Appearances do not completely fill in nothingness and so "All is one" cannot be true, and nothingness cannot expunge appearances and so "One is not" cannot be true. Appearances are something, and nothingness is a spacer that separates individual somethings, and at the same time unites both to create the world of the senses and the world of the mind.
Therefore, the world of appearances, of the senses and of the mind, must be real because even if they were an illusion, it is the only illusion that exists as the world, and therefore, the illusion becomes inseparable from reality.
As one examines the world of appearances, one must ask: Can the world of appearances be reduced to basic elements so that one can better analyze appearances? One finds that there are basic elements in the world of the senses such as: "red," "round," "quantity," "up," "down," "space," and many others. One also finds that there are basic elements in the mind such as: "space" (which separates ideas) "thoughts," beauty," "fairness," (to some) "love," (as a feeling) and many others.
The reality of the two worlds of basic appearances, in the senses and in the mind, is further demonstrated by the fact that every single one of them has proven to possess a universal usefulness when put into right combinations with other basic elements of reality. Even faint "feelings" and "ideas" that cannot even be named prove useful and true when formed into a right combination called a "hunch," if the "hunch" turns out to be correct. Even "hatred," as a basic emotional element, has proven to be useful as an incentive to keep many a tortured person alive so that he may eventually overcome or outlast his enemies. "Dung," as a basic element of the senses, has proven to be useful as fertilizer. As a universal rule, every basic element of reality has proven itself to be useful when used in correct combinations with other basic elements. Anything which is useful must also be real.
The skeptics advance many arguments to attempt to show that no one can tell true appearances from false appearances. Many of their arguments involve differences such as different judgments of different men, different judgments of different sense organs, and different judgments resulting from different positions. They reason that since all kinds of differences result in different judgments about appearances, then it becomes impossible to make true judgments.
The flaw in their arguments is that every separate judgment involves its own separate combination of basic realities. Each combination of basic realities effects its own result, but the basic realities themselves are always true and useful. For instance, in one combination involving the "tongue" and "taste," honey will taste "sweet." The true combination effects a useful result for this particular combination. However, by using a different combination involving "feeling" and "fingers," honey will feel "sticky" to the fingers. Again, a true combination has effected a useful but different real result. The skeptics would contend that because honey is sweet to the taste and sticky to the fingers, then one cannot tell what is true about honey. The simple truth is that honey is really sweet to the taste and really sticky to the fingers depending on which true combination of basic realities is used.
The skeptics use many such arguments involving changes in position, the senses, judgments of different people, and many other such examples in their attempts to show that no one can tell truth from falsity. The flaw in their examples is that they ignore the fact that every change involves a different combination of basic realities that may effect a useful or useless result. The useful results are always true, and the useless results are always false. For instance, the skeptics would argue that because honey may taste bitter to a sick man, then no one can tell if honey is truly sweet or bitter. The answer to this is that " a sick man tasting bitter honey" constitutes a false combination of basic realities that effects a useless result.
The skeptics also employ certain tests to try to show that the truth cannot be found. One of these is the infinity test. For instance, they contend that one cannot know that one is using a true foot measure unless one compares it to a standard foot measure, but then one cannot know that the standard foot measure is true unless one compares it to another standard foot measure, and that one to another and so on to infinity. They use this argument to try to show that one can never be sure that one is using a true foot measure. One of the flaws in this argument is that the infinity test for truth is an unfair one for finite minds that cannot reach into infinity. A fair test will reveal the truth that foot measures properly calibrated to a standard foot measure when manufactured have obtained many useful results throughout the history of at least the English people.
The skeptics argument against the inductive method for obtaining the truth is the every-possible-example test. For instance, they maintain that no one can ever be sure that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line unless one gathers every possible example of this combination that has ever existed and compares every one of them in order to ascertain that this combination holds true in every case. Again, the answer is that it is unfair to demand an impossible test for a limited humanity. The truth is that the results of this true combination called: "The shortest distance between two points is a straight line," has proven itself useful throughout the entire history of mankind.
The skeptics arguments against the certainties of mathematics are just too absurd to consider. For instance, they maintain that under certain circumstances, six can equal fifteen.
The skeptics are right about one of their arguments. The existence of God can never be proved or disproved. The absolute truth cannot be proved about anything except by using an infinity test. Therefore, only God can know the absolute truth.
However, the skeptics also take the agnostic position that because finite man cannot know the difference between truth and falsity, then man can never know whether or not God exists. This argument is wrong.
Man does not have to prove God's existence in order to know that He exists. God has revealed His existence to man through His inspired Word. It stands to reason that if God exists, then He must be an infinite set of basic realities that are absolutely good and true. In other words, "God is Love" (I John 4:16) and His infinite set of basic realities is His Word (John 1:1-2). God is the same as His Love and His Word.
If "God is Love," then God loves all of His good creations including mankind. Naturally, since God loves mankind, He would want man to know the Truth which He is. Thus, God has given His absolute Truth to fallen man in the form of His infallible written word the Bible(KJV) and in the form of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Any person can be saved from his sinful and fallen condition by hearing or reading the Word of God and coming to faith in Jesus. Jesus effected man's salvation through His death, burial and resurrection, to take away his sins and give him His own eternal Life.
The Holy Spirit delivers this faith and salvation to the hearts of those who repent and believe in Jesus' power to save them. This true combination of basic realities put together by God effects a spiritual reality to the hearts of believers that is more real than even those realities that come through their senses of the outside world.
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