Phenomenalism

Empiricism Is A Belief

Excerpt from “Substance & Shadow” by Suhotra Swami

The foundation of empiricism is a belief, not the objective truth. We should try to understand this carefully. Belief is defined in philosophy as a state of mind that is appropriate to truth. A state of mind is subjective. The objective confirmation of belief is truth. Now, if the claim of empiricism, that sense data is the ultimate knowledge, was a truth, empiricists would be able to demonstrate objectively that there is nothing to be known beyond sense data. But the very term empiricism (coming from the Greek empeira, experience) means that sense experience is the limit of empirical knowledge. Confined by their method within this limit, empiricists have no means of knowing whether or not there is something beyond the experience of the senses. Therefore, the claim that sense data is knowledge is nothing more than a belief.

Wasted? Totally!

Wasted? Totally!

My house keys. Bwahahaha!

My house keys. Bwahahaha!

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Man! I dropped my keys.

Man! I dropped my keys.

Dang! What to do? It's so dark here.

Dang! What to do? It’s so dark here.

No sweat. I got this.

No sweat. I got this.

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Skateboard guy: "Dude, I saw it all. You dropped your keys by the door. What are you doing here?" The drunk: "Here I can see. Over there is too dark."

Skateboard guy: “Dude, I saw it all. You dropped your keys by the door. What are you doing here?”
The drunk: “Here I can see. Over there is too dark.”

To claim that reality exists only within the purview of sensual experience (i.e. something that I can see, touch, etc.) is like searching in an illuminated area for keys that are in fact somewhere else.

Suhotra Swami (1950 - 2007). He was a monk, a teacher who spent nearly his whole life traveling, teaching, writing books, and touching numberless hearts with his compassion and wisdom. He passed away in the holy land of Mayapur, India, while sitting in his hut in meditation.

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