"There are many solid
metaphysical arguments buttressing
Bishop Berkeley's
great philosophical doctrine that no reality
exists outside the mind, but empirical evidence supporting it is
thought
to be rare; yet there is one phenomenon utterly Berkeleian in its
nature
and effect; and that is a cup of
coffee
in the morning. It sheds so dulcet
a radiance on a world which twenty seconds before the ingestion of the
brew usually seems stale and grisly, that we are forced to conclude the
sudden change is not in the world but in the mental tone of the
observer.
Now - follow this philosophical
thread carefully - if you admit the fact
that the external world has actually remained unchanged while seeming
to
undergo a profound
metamorphosis
in the instance of
coffee
in the morning,
are you not forced to go the rest of the way and admit that at all
times,
even if less obviously,
the aspect
of the world must depend on the mental state of the observer?
And since aspect is all we can ever know (experience
being only perceivable through the window of the brain), are you not
thrust
into the arms of Berkeley and compelled to the position that the world
as we know it is a product of the mind? Leaving you to consider at
leisure
the staggering implications of the thesis, we return to our tale."
- Herman Wouk from "Aurora
Dawn" (ISBN 0316955094)
.
About Ah, Software
Mark Wieder and Shauna Haines are the principal developers of Ah, Software, a Berkeley,
California-based software consultancy specializing in application
development, quality assurance, and training. With 40 years' combined
experience, Ah,
Software has a list of clients that includes nonprofits, startups, and
large established corporations.
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