1. If it is a fiction, then why people have been deceived by it for so long time? 5000 years? Surely it takes 5 minutes for ordinary folks to know it is a fiction.

2. If it is a fiction, then what is a philosophical point of it? — Corvus

Hindus believe their holy books are true. Just as Christians, Muslims and Jews believe their holy books to be true. Only the nonbelievers disbelieve the holy books of all religions. The holy books of all religions are self-contradictory and mutually contradictory. I have studied most religions.

Isn't there a whole branch of philosophy called the Philosophy of Religion?

Some "core beliefs" which I try to live by:

Do no harm as in: What I find harmful, I try not to do to anyone'.

Have courage as in: I expect the best, prepare  for the worst and try to  accept whatever comes.

Trust evidence as in this motto: In Nature We Trust. — 180 Proof

I love your core beliefs. They are much more helpful than mine. I am working on replacing my core beliefs with helpful ones. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for your kind wishes and understanding.

I agree. Ever since I watched the movie "The Matrix" I have been troubled by how to tell what is real and what is not.

I agree.

I agree.

I agree that there are no reasonable grounds to think that I am in the Matrix. I also agree that there are no reasonable grounds to think that solipsism is correct. I also agree that there are no reasonable grounds to think that we live in a simulation. I am currently going through a depressive episode which affects my concentration and comprehension so I didn't understand everything you said and everything in the links you shared. I don't know if I will ever get better but if I do, I will re-read everything to see if I understand them.

We don't know anything objectively. We may believe that we do but this is a delusion. Everything we know is subjective. There are two kinds of subjective truths:
— Truth Seeker

You open by claiming that believing objective knowledge is a delusion. If all knowledge is subjective, how can you assert that objectivity is delusional? Maybe that's just your particular problem, not shared by other people.

As a rule of thumb, sweeping generalities ("we don't know anything objectively") should be viewed with suspicion. — BC

I am happy to view it with suspicion. I am almost 100% certain that solipsism is incorrect. However, in the one-in-infinity case that solipsism is correct, then only I exist and everyone and everything else is part of a hallucination or dream or illusion or simulation I am experiencing.

We don't know anything objectively.
— Truth Seeker
False. Some obvious examples – "We know objectively" that no individual was born before her parents were born. "We know objectively" that we are natural beings whose existence is both consistent with physical laws and inseparable from nature itself. Also "we know objectively" that we cannot in any way know at any time 'all that is knowable'. — 180 Proof

I have no way to know that children, parents, the universe, the laws of physics, etc. are real. What if solipsism is true and I am the only being that actually exists and everything else is part of a hallucination or dream or illusion or simulation I am experiencing?

I agree with you. What if everyone and everything is part of a bubble of solipsism?

Thank you for your reply and recommendation. What are your core beliefs?

The reason I haven't taken my life is that would harm my family. I have a duty of care to them. I have a duty of care to all living things. I do my best to save and improve all lives, but I can't save and improve all lives despite my best efforts. 99.9% of all the species to evolve so far on Earth are already extinct. The remaining 0.1% will also die.

Thank you for your advice. You are lucky that you are not me and have not lived my life.

I don't know. I can't figure out the whole truth about reality. I wish all living things were all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful.

I understand that. My question is, do you think that my comment is contradictory with the OP? — Lionino

I am confused. I don't know. I wonder about solipsism. I can't prove or disprove it. I wonder about the Simulation Hypothesis. I can't prove or disprove that either. How would I know anything objectively? By "objective" I mean external to my mind or minds in general. By "subjective" I mean internal to my mind or minds in general.

That knowledge happens inside our heads doesn't matter, because that is included in the definition of "know" already. — Lionino

I understood the point you made and I realised that it is true. That's why I agree with you.

I agree.

I agree.

Why would anyone leave Bangladesh? — Athena

Different people have left Bangladesh for different reasons. Some have left to have a better standard of living in another country. Some have left because their lives were threatened in Bangladesh. Some have left to earn more money for their family. Some have left to have better education.

I think of Bangladesh as very exotic and with a rich history. — Athena

When I think of Bangladesh, I am flooded with sorrow about all the suffering, inequality, injustice and deaths. Please see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacks_by_Islamic_extremists_in_Bangladesh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_Bangladesh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Bangladesh_cyclone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floods_in_Bangladesh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Liberation_War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Bhola_cyclone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_famine_of_1943

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Bengal_famine_of_1770

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Plassey

In 1617, the Christian King James I of England & VI of Scotland, the one who authorised the King James Version of the Bible, offered friendship to the Muslim Emperor Jahangir. In return, Jahangir granted trading permission and tax-exempt status to the English East India Company. In 1757, the East India Compay stabbed the natives in the back and took power using deception, bribery and violence. The Company forced local farmers to grow cash crops instead of food crops. During the 1769 to 1773 famine, they increased tax 3 to 4 times the original tax - one would think the Company would remember that they were given tax-exempt status by Jahangir and consequently would give the natives a tax-exempt status but they did the very opposite. 10 million out of 30 million Bengalis died in that famine alone. Of course, there were many more famines during the British Rule:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_major_famines_in_India_during_British_rule

I would love to go back in time and prevent all suffering, inequality, injustice, and deaths. I would love to make all living things all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful but I can't.

What grounds, Seeker, do you have to doubt that "two bananas in a fruit ball" refers to more than just your "subjective sensory perception"? — 180 Proof

in 1999, I watched a movie called "The Matrix". Please see https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093 Have you seen it? If you have not, I highly recommend that you do. Ever since then, I have been wondering if the things I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell are really there or if they are a simulation. I can see the two bananas in my fruit bowl. I can touch them. I can peel them and eat them and experience their sweet taste. All of these are subjective experiences. How do I know that I am not in the Matrix?

By "subjective" I mean internal to minds. By "objective" I mean external to minds. How can we really know what is and what is not external to my mind? Solipsism can't be proven or disproven. The simulation hypothesis can't be proven or disproven.

Thank you for your detailed reply. I agree with you. By "objective" I mean "external to minds". By "subjective" I mean "internal to minds".

If objective knowledge is knowledge without reference to a mind, then it follows that no knowledge could ever be objective. — Count Timothy von Icarus

I totally agree with your statement above.

Thank you for explaining. I understand now. I agree.

I counted that there are two bananas in my fruit bowl. Is that an objective knowledge or a subjective sensory perception?

I am sorry, I don't understand what you said. Please clarify.

I agree.

I think we live in an objective world. That's why we can share our subjective thoughts using words. My subjective thoughts are being typed in this post and it will be perceived by your visual cortex. Both of us have subjective aspects but we can both engage with an objective reality.

You are right.

You are assuming that what is subjective is imaginary or self-refuting. How would I know anything objectively?

If we take death - or suicide - as something subjective, there could be a possibility that my dead corpse could be something true for some but for others don't. — javi2541997

I see the problem. Until someone knows that you have died (either by discovering your dead body or by hearing it from someone, etc.), they still think that you are still alive. For example, my uncle died on Wednesday. I didn't know about it until several hours after he had died. Even though he was dead, I still thought that he was alive until my mum told me that my uncle had suddenly died. I think that this means there is an objective reality which we become aware of through our subjective sensory perceptions. My uncle had died in the objective reality but I didn't become aware of it until my mum told me about it. Is the way I perceive the colour green identical to the way you or another person perceives the colour green?

Are you claiming that some experiences like death and suicide are dependent upon shared subjective truths to be plausible? — javi2541997

No, I am not claiming that. If you were to kill yourself tomorrow (I hope you don't), I wouldn't know about it unless I find your body or someone else finds your body and tells me about it. So, your dead body would be a shared subjective truth for everyone who sees your dead body.

https://ibb.co/MB9qBhL has a Venn diagram I have created to help convey what I mean.

I think that my claim is merely subjective. Just because it is subjective, does that necessarily mean that it's a belief? I see these words on the website. For me, the act of seeing the words is subjective. How would I know anything objectively? Here is a Venn diagram I created to explain what I mean https://ibb.co/MB9qBhL

It doesn't let me revise the poll question. I wanted to make it clearer. I don't think we can know anything objectively.

All of my sensory perceptions, thoughts, emotions, etc. are subjective. How can I possibly know anything objectively?

Yes, all of my sensory perceptions, thoughts, emotions, etc. are subjective. How can I possibly know anything objectively?

We can't know anything outside our subjective perceptions and understanding.

I agree.

It's written in their holy book. I don't agree with them. I think all religions are fiction made up by people.

Hinduism is more than 5,000 years old which makes it the oldest surviving religion on Earth. It has many Gods. Hindus believe that living things have immortal souls which reincarnate according to karma. The original Buddhism is atheistic.

Thank you.

:rofl: