8. Phenomenalism
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound? If it were up to phenomenalism, the answer would be no, it absolutely does not. Let’s take a step further in this trilogy of not being able to verify our own realities. Phenomenalism basically states that anything and everything only exists if you can see it, perceive it, or know of it. Think about it this way… you’re the driver in this reality and everything in this universe is a reflection of your own imagination. Until you can physically go to Paris or Rome or anywhere else in the world, those places don’t really exist… because you’ve never physically perceived them yet.
Simply put, nothing is happening beyond the scope of your own personal view. No one is sitting at a Starbucks now because you aren’t sitting at a Starbucks and, if you are, then no one’s sitting anywhere else unless you go there. Here’s another analogy for you fans of StarCraft. Notice how everything is dark until you move your characters on the map to light that spot? That’s phenomenalism. Everything outside the scope of your vision right now, isn’t real.
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