Michael Chui, thats an interesting example, I'm not disagreeing, I wasn't really disagreeing originally, but I do see a few small questions about your argument.
First, it actually IS possible to find the items in the super market situation. What I mean is that we can never be objective and see the actual truth, (at least while we're alive)..or can we? There's one issue, if we can never actually prove something exists by finding it...does it even matter if it exists or not?
Second, is about perspective. If I go to that supermarket and say I don't believe that certain items exist, will I find them? The example I'm thinking of is when someone goes shopping with the knowledge that they'll never find what they're looking for and then magically they don't. This goes back to the idea of subjective reality. If I don't believe something exists, for me and from my perspective does it exist? even if I don't believe in it?
You can apply the same thing to notions of change, if my assumptions change my actions but I don't notice the change because its too small to notice etc, than from my perspective, didn't I not change? And then we go back to the idea of trees falling in the forest again.
Either way, its an interesting debate, and like I said, I'm not disagreeing with you, I hope it didn't come off that way. I think looking at all the different view points like this is important and interesting.
Most of these questions we ask cannot be answered because they depend so much on perspective. I guess it does come down to whatever we think.
Some days these things way on me more than others. Today is I guess a light hearted day as a lot of the philosophical quandaries I was pondering the other day don't seem to have as much weight.
Makes for a heck of a debate though, lol. I appreciate everyone's feedback as its fun to have an intellectual discussion like this.
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