Believing that God exists, but matter doesn't is the real joke.

Does matter really matter? Well, through reason, observation and scientific investigation we know a lot about matter. Matter consists of solids, liquids and gases. Anything which has mass is matter. If it's made up from atoms or molecules it's matter, and that's a matter of fact.

Mar 15, 2016 12:13am

Berkeley’s Arguments against materialism

1) If we can know about matter, we can know about it either by sense or by reason.

1.1) All we can know by sense are our own ideas and sensations.

1.2) Matter ̸= an idea or sensation.

1.3 ) So, we cannot know about matter by sense.

2 ) If we can know about matter by reason, we can know about it either by deductive or probabilistic inference from what we know by sense.

2.1) It’s clearly possible for us to have the very same ideas we do without there being any external bodies corresponding to them (as happens in “dreams, frenzies, etc. )

2.2) So we can’t know about matter by deductive inference from what we know by sense.

2.3 ) If we can know about matter by probabilistic inference from what we know by sense, then we must have some understanding of how matter could cause our ideas or sensations.

2.4) ) We can be no understanding of how matter can cause our ideas or sensations,since we can only observe the workings of matter, and ideas and sensations are not matter.

2.5 ) So we can’t know about matter by probabilistic inference from what we know by sense.

3) So, we can’t know about matter by reason.

Conclusion : If we can’t know about matter by reason, then we can’t know anything about matter.

Getting food is not a joke, nor is getting the supplies you need to build or sustain life.

The joke is valuing materials above the quantity and quality of life itself. Because it really has zero value if it weren't for life.

We all want stuff, but those who have a lot of stuff get a lot of resentment from those who don't have much stuff. The latter can stuff it for all I care.