So if gib says “Santa Clause doesn’t exist,” then in reality (independently from what anyone thinks exists) Santa Clause actually does exist?
You know that things can be true according to a certain person and at the same time be true in reality (independently from what anyone thinks exists), right?
But I thought you just said:
Well, the only thing I can conclude from this is that we cannot speak of that which exists independently of what I (or you, or him, or her, etc.) think exists. But then why bring up the distinction at all? If I say “X exist,” what’s the point of saying: that just means “Gib thinks X exists,” which is different from saying “X exists independently of what anyone thinks”?
I’m not sure how an egalitarian philosophy would pan out socially and politically, but let me get this straight (if we can go on a temporary tangent). So formally speaking, egalitarianism is the philosophy that all points of view are equally valid. If it’s not a form of relativism, then all such points of view would have to be equally valid all at once, which obviously allows for contradictions. I don’t quite see how this necessarily leads to social cohesion being the top priority unless such an egalitarian landscape makes way for Darwinian modes of competition between points of view, in which case the strongest survive. But this is a social dynamic, not a logical/philosophical outcome of egalitarianism itself.
Other than hallucinations, mirages, and dreams? Nope. But I can imagine tons of situations in which it makes sense to say that what I see in front of me is real. This very discussion, for example. For another example, affirming rumors about sitings of Bigfoot. If I see him, I’m going to report back that what I saw is real.
Still, whatever I saw is real. Yes, this is accompanied by assumptions that determine how I interpret what I see, and those assumptions can change as a result of different things I see (seeing what happens behind the scenes, for example). One minute, I believe that the woman is sawed in half, the next, I believe it is a trick. But it doesn’t change what I saw. And when such a change in assumptions occurs, it can again be explained with relativism. Relative to my first set of assumptions, the woman was sawed in half. But relative to my second set of assumptions, it was just a trick.
Still, saying “I assume X is the case” is the same as saying “I assume X is the case in reality.”
Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean assumptions are about the future.
Because those aren’t nearly the same thing. I haven’t experienced Santa Clause. Doesn’t mean I assume he exists.
But that’s not the point. I wasn’t talking about what assumptions are about. I was talking about what the word “real” refers to. I was saying that “real” sometimes refers to objects. I was effectively cutting assumptions out of the picture.
That’s right. Which supports my point: if an assumption is that which effects behavior, then there is no such thing as an assumption that has no effect.