Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Does Anything Exist?

A quick thought I had today after talking with an atheist friend who said that he does not believe anything on faith but rather only on what science can prove.

And so I ask: Can science prove that anything exists outside of yourself? In order to use science to prove something exists one needs to use the scientific method and scientific tools. However, in doing so one presupposes that science and the scientific tools exist in the first place. Thus, it becomes circular reasoning - using something you perceive exists to prove existence. A similar line of thought can be drawn when asking the simple question can we prove science is the only way to truth? In doing so we would have to use science to prove science and again we find ourselves going around the loop that is circular reasoning.

Now I'm not saying we don't have good reasons to believe things exist outside of ourselves or that science helps us discover truth. However, since we can't prove that anything exists or that the scientific method is the only way; we do have to "make a leap of faith" and one cannot say that he or she only believe what can be proven.

Somethings by their very nature just can't be.

2 comments: