What is the stuff our dreams are made of?

[Merlijn]

I just came across a discussion at the Frontier Physics Forum on teleportation. The question was raised, imagine we have a teleporter, can we teleport a conscious being?

I am wondering what the ideas are as to what is the source of our consciousness?

Here is a poll

[papa_smirf]

Personally, I question it all. Are we a figment of our own imaginations? Maybe a figment of someone elses. Maybe we are nothing more then a computer program. Or worse yet, a true conciousness part of some sort of expirement. Or an AI inside of a programmed world. Don't believe what THEY tell you. To discover the truth you must be paranoid of everything at all times. This in fact is the only true truth!

[Merlijn]

Papa_Smirf, Do I hear Descartes sneaking up on me again?

I agree: through doubting the truth may be percieved. But the question how to know the truth is worth a thread of its own.

There is this difficult question...is the following valid?

I can doubt anything. Maybe nothing exists at all, but the fact that there is something that can doubt.

Does the fact that the sentence is self-referential prove its own existence?
Personally I think it does. But I believe, to the strickt rules of logic it does not.

[papa_smirf]

through doubting the truth may be perceived. But the question how to know the truth is worth a thread of its own.

You can never know the truth because it can always be a mere lie. That's the beauty of paranoia. The key is to believe that what you're seeing now is the best truth as of now. In that way, you can keep a healthy grip on reality while having a twist of phsychoticism in you (creativity ). And as for the following:

I can doubt anything. Maybe nothing exists at all, but the fact that there is something that can doubt.

I don't think that it proves itself anymore then this sentence I'm writing now. It's simply a half truth like all things. The question is, if it isn't the truth, then who's in control of the deception?

[Merlijn]

The key is to believe that what you're seeing now is the best truth as of now.

Maybe I misunderstand you, but I do get the feeling that for a scepticist, you put an awful lot of trust in your senses.

[papa_smirf]

lol