What project? Selfishness and ruthlessness have resulted in the deaths and misery of so many living things. If every human became a vegan egalitarian, the world would be a much happier place for humans and all the sentient beings we hold captive, exploit and slaughter.

I agree.

What do you mean by that?

On the contrary, it is the lack of compassion and caring that creates the problems in life. If everyone cared about everyone then the world would be a much happier place. Murder, torture, rape, robbery, theft, fraud, slavery, exploitation, etc. would vanish. The world has enough to meet everyone's needs. It does not have enough to meet anyone's greed. If only everyone would commit to saving and improving all lives. I am not paralysed. I have saved and improved some lives already and plan to save and improve even more lives.

Thank you for your reply. I don't need to find comfort. I have accepted that which I cannot change. I do my best to save and improve all lives. I have not managed to save and improve all lives but I have saved and improved some lives through my words, actions and inactions.

I am not talking about the future. When the Sun expands it will incinerate the Earth. That does not mean that the Earth is not orbiting the Sun right now. London is currently the capital of the United Kingdom. If in the future, the Earth becomes one country and United Kingdom ceases to be a country then London will no longer be the capital of the United Kingdom but that does not mean that it is not the capital of the United Kingdom now. When we observe the rising of the Sun from Earth, it rises over the horizon form the East - not North, not South, not West.

Certainty does not depend on the duration something is true. It is certain that the Earth orbits the Sun now. The fact that the expansion of the Sun will incinerate the Earth does not make it any less certain that the Earth orbits the Sun now.

Thank you for your reply. There are trillions of things that we know with 100% certainty e.g. the Earth orbits the Sun, London is the capital of the United Kingdom, the Sun rises in the East, living things die, etc.

Thank you for telling me about Bayesian inference. It is fascinating but it is not possible to answer my questions about the true nature of selves and universes.

We don't know and probably can't know whether living things are real souls without real bodies, real souls in real bodies or real bodies without real souls.

We also don't know and probably can't know whether the universe is actually real or is a simulation or hallucination or dream or illusion. The most likely scenario is that we will all die without knowing the true nature of selves and universes.

I cry about the fact that there is so much suffering, inequality, injustice, and death in the world. If I could, I would make all living things forever happy - including the dead ones and the never-born ones. I wish I could make all living things all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful then there would be no suffering, inequality, injustice and death.

Thank you.

Pragmatism is my solution.

I agree.

It is possible that Hinduism is true. No, I am not a Hindu but there are Hindus on Earth. It is impossible to test the hypothesis that living things are souls who reincarnate according to karma in an illusory universe called Maya.

I am an agnostic atheist pragmatist. When I am driving, I don't go around thinking that hitting pedestrians won't matter because the pedestrians are not actually real. They are real enough to have consequences for them and for me.

We don't know and probably can't know whether living things are real souls without real bodies, real souls in real bodies or real bodies without real souls.

We also don't know and probably can't know whether the universe is actually real or is a simulation or hallucination or dream or illusion. The most likely scenario is that we will all die without knowing the true nature of selves and universes.

I cry about the fact that there is so much suffering, inequality, injustice, and death in the world. If I could, I would make all living things forever happy - including the dead ones and the never-born ones. I wish I could make all living things all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful then there would be no suffering, inequality, injustice and death.

Dear living things,
My aim in life is to save and improve all lives. I am requesting all living things to share my goal. One for all and all for one. Together, we can do much more than we can alone.
With unconditional love,
Someone who loves you.

I disagree. Evolution is not sentient. It does not choose anything consciously. It is a process that occurs in the real world - whatever its true nature.

I agree.

Thank you for the formula but how does that apply to my problems?

Here are my two problems:

1. What is my true nature? Am I a soul without a body or a soul in a body or a body without a soul?

2. Is the universe real or a simulation or my hallucination or my dream or an illusion?

Are all of the above possibilities equally likely? I don't currently know but does that mean I won't ever know?

I disagree. If you behead someone, they die. This is not a belief. This is a fact - an item of knowledge.

Yes, there are lots of things we can know for sure. For example, we know that the website address for this website is https://thephilosophyforum.com and we know that the language this message is written in is English. There are trillions of such examples.

I disagree.

I disagree. I am experiencing what it is like to be me. This is not a belief. This is a knowledge.

I agree.

It's possible that I am a soul and my body is either a simulation or hallucination or dream or illusion. According to Hinduism we are souls who reincarnate according to karma in an illusion called the Maya.

I don't know whether souls exist or not. I am an agnostic atheist.

This is a paradox!

As I said, in all three possibilities, I am real. My sentience is known to me. My sentience is real to me. My sentience is not in question.

I don't know and can't know which of the three possibilities is true: 1. I am a soul without a body. 2. I am a soul in a body. 3. I am a body without a soul.

Just as I don't know and can't know which of the five possibilities about the universe is true: 1. The universe is real. 2. The universe is a simulation. 3. The universe is a hallucination I am having. 4. The universe is a dream I am having. 5. The universe is an illusion.

I don't think that all of the possibilities are equally likely. I can't work out how probable each of them actually are. Statistics can't be applied in these cases because we can't test the possibilities.

It does not mean that at all. I can imagine an alien in my room but it is not real. The computer I am typing this message on is real.

Can you show me the calculation, please?

Whatever exists is whatever is not imaginary. I experience my sentience. This is how I know it exists.

That has not changed. What is 100% certainly real to me is the experience of me being conscious. I could be a solipsistic soul without a body. I could be a soul in a body. I could be a body without a soul. In all three possibilities, I am real. By "I", I mean my sentience - the actual experience of what it is like to be me - nanosecond by nanosecond. Not all truths can be proven but that does not make them any less true. For example, I can’t prove to you that I am conscious but that does not mean that I am not conscious. You may think that I am a philosophical zombie but I assure you that I am conscious even though I can't prove it to you. Just as you are conscious even though you can't prove it to me.

By "I am" I mean that my experience of being a sentient being is real for me. It is because of this experience that I am convinced that I exist. I don't know whether I am a solipsistic soul without a body or a soul in a body or a body without a soul. I don't know if the universe I appear to exist in is real or simulation or hallucination or dream or illusion. What are you certain of?

I am not convinced these Enneagram types are anything more than unprovable ideas.

Thank you for explaining. What is the basis for your beliefs?

I experience the experience of what it is like to be me. This is not a belief. This is an incontrovertible knowledge for me.

I still have no way of knowing whether I am a solipsistic soul without a body or a soul in a body or a body without a soul.

I agree. :grin:

Real is whatever exists. For example, my sentience is real because it exists.

My confidence about my sentience is 100% certainty. I don't know whether God exists or not.

As for as I know, the universe I appear to exist in, began with a tiny silent beginning. This tiny silent beginning is known popularly as the Big Bang but that name is a misnomer given the fact that the beginning was neither big, nor noisy. It's possible that by body, the universe, etc. are not real. It's possible these things are part of a simulation or hallucination or dream or illusion. I don't know for sure and can't know for sure.

What are you certain of?

"You are merely wrong. ... It is indeed a hallucination, but, that situation was not inflicted upon you. It was chosen by you, incorrectly." How do you know that I am merely wrong? How do you know that it is a hallucination? How do you know that it was chosen by me? How do you know that it is incorrect?

I think that the statement "I think, therefore I am." is incorrect. The correct statement is "I am, therefore I am."

Truth is whatever is real. From my point of view, my sentience is real. Certainty is the confidence I have about my knowledge about what is real. For example, I am completely certain that I am sentient. I am not completely certain about whether I am a solipsistic soul without a body or a soul in a body or a body without a soul. In all three possibilities, I am real. By "I", I mean my sentience - the actual experience of what it is like to be me - nanosecond by nanosecond. Not all truths can be proven but that does not make them any less true. For example, I can’t prove to you that I am conscious but that does not mean that I am not conscious. You may think that I am a philosophical zombie but I assure you that I am conscious even though I can't prove it to you. Just as you are conscious even though you can't prove it to me. If you don't know what a philosophical zombie is, then please see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_zombie

I disagree for reasons already explained. I don't require anyone to agree with me about anything.

I disagree. My body could be part of a simulation, hallucination, dream or illusion. What is 100% certainly real is the experience of being conscious. I could be a solipsistic soul without a body. I could be a soul in a body. I could be a body without a soul. In all three possibilities, I am real. By "I", I mean my sentience - the actual experience of what it is like to be me - nanosecond by nanosecond. Not all truths can be proven but that does not make them any less true. For example, I can’t prove to you that I am conscious but that does not mean that I am not conscious. You may think that I am a philosophical zombie but I assure you that I am conscious even though I can't prove it to you. Just as you are conscious even though you can't prove it to me.

I agree.

I agree.

The body could be part of a simulation, hallucination, dream or illusion. What is 100% certainly real is the experience of being conscious. I could be a solipsistic soul without a body. I could be a soul in a body. I could be a body without a soul. In all three possibilities, I am real. By "I", I mean my sentience - the actual experience of what it is like to be me - nanosecond by nanosecond. Not all truths can be proven but that does not make them any less true. For example, I can’t prove to you that I am conscious but that does not mean that I am not conscious. You may think that I am a philosophical zombie but I assure you that I am conscious even though I can't prove it to you. Just as you are conscious even though you can't prove it to me.

If you want to learn more about breathing, please see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4880533