Arguments against the Skeptics

 The skeptics believe that there can be no certain knowledge. One cannot trust even one's own senses that has been objectified by consciousness to be real and certain because even the same experiences can be different for different persons according to conditions. A healthy person with normal taste buds will taste honey as being sweet, but a sick person many taste honey as being bitter. A person close to a tower many view it as being square, but a person who views it from a distance may see it as being round. Skeptics contend that because different experiences can obtain under the same conditions, then no one can ever be certain that anything can be real in the way it is experienced.

But a way can be found that will counter these skeptics' arguments. Experiences are always real exactly as they are experienced. Whether experiences are direct through the senses or abstract ideas in the mind, both are equally real. Abstract ideas can be gained through the senses or be given directly to the mind. In both cases, they are always certain and real. The idea of infinity has never been experienced through the senses, nevertheless, this idea, like all other such ideas, can only be certain and real.

The reason that all experiences and ideas can only be certain and real is that consciousness happens to be the only power, the only engine, of the universe that can establish reality. Only consciousness can tell the difference between something and nothing. Some have argued that consciousness is not real, and therefore, all of reality is but an illusion. But if reality is but an illusion, it nevertheless can only be a real illusion because those are the only experiences that the mind can have. In fact, it is quite impossible for the mind to have any experience which is not real because the mind establishes reality and nothing else. In addition, reality can only be certain and real because human consciousness can invent and construct true combinations of real experiences and ideas that produce desired results such as happiness, justice, and machines that produce a desired result. Illusions never produce desired results except as fictional characters such as fairies and unicorns.

All of reality consists of true combinations of real and certain experiences and ideas that produce desired results, and also false combinations of real and certain experiences and ideas that fail to produce any desired results. This fact happens to be a universal truth. For example, the false mathematical combination that is 2+3=6 produces no desired result and actually equals nothing indicated by the real and useful idea of nothing. Nevertheless, every number and sign in this false combination is certain and real. This simple example happens to be true of all false combinations in reality.

All of reality consists of true and real combinations of ideas and experiences and false combinations of true and real ideas and experiences. Mathematics demonstrates this truth. All of mathematics consists of true combinations of real numbers and false combinations of real numbers. But in both cases, all of the signs and numbers are certain and real.

Unicorns do not exist, but horses and horns do exist in reality. Unicorns only non-exist as a false combination of real horns and horses. The same is true of all false combinations in reality.

A sick person may taste honey as being bitter, but all of the germs or chemicals that cause the sickness are real which makes the bitter taste of the honey real even though it all is but a false combination. The false combination happens to be the sick person's disordered mind caused by real germs or chemicals that cause the sick person to have a real taste of bitter when that person tastes real honey. In other words, such a false combination happens to be exactly like all false combinations in mathematics.

If a person observes a square tower to be round from a distance, that false combination happens because the distance, which is real, causes the shape of the tower, which is a real, to be vague, which is a real idea, which in turn causes the person to see the distant tower as being round, also a real idea supplied by the mind. Whenever there happens to be a hole in reality, the mind always fills it with a real idea.

If a person observes a straight spoon that appears to be bent in a glass of water, that false combination happens because light, which is real, reflects, which is real, off the water in such a way as to cause the spoon to appear, which is real, to the observer as being bent, which is a real idea supplied by the mind. All false combinations in reality consists of true and real experiences and ideas.

In fact, the mind cannot experience anything except that which is true and real whether concrete or abstract. Reality can only be established by consciousness. The mind never experiences that which is not real. Just as the mind can make mistakes in arithmetic, the mind can construct false combinations of true and real ideas and experiences.

This means that whenever a skeptic tells a realist that she can never be certain that her experiences and ideas are certain and real, that realist can reply that she can be certain that all of her experiences and ideas are true and real whether they occur in true or false combinations.

Since consciousness happens to be necessary for reality to exist in the universe, and absolutely nothing can happen without reality, then consciousness has had to exist in all of eternity. An Infinite Consciousness must exist. Genesis 1:1.