Realities Quote by George Stuart Fullerton
““Appearances and realities are experiences which are observed to be related in certain ways. That which is not open to observation at all, that of which we have, and can have, no experience, we have no reason to call the reality of anything. We have, in truth, no reason to talk about it at all, for we know nothing whatever about it; and when we do talk about it, it is because we are laboring under a delusion.””
About This Quote
We can only discuss what is observable; unobservable things lack justification for being called reality.
In simple terms: Only observable things can be called real.
Key Takeaway
Focus on evidence.
Themes
epistemology
observation
reality
Mood
analytical
skeptical
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- scientific research
- philosophical debate
- policy making
Key Concepts
empiricism
skepticism
Questions to Reflect On
- What counts as evidence for reality?
- How do we treat unobservable concepts?
A Different Perspective
Some argue that theoretical constructs, though unobservable, are useful.
![“[Plato] was the first to envisage the idea of timeless existence and to emphasize it-against reason-as a reality, more [real] than our actual experience...” quote by Erwin Schrodinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8e3/erwin-schrodinger-8450_existence_plato-was-the-first-to-envisage-the-idea_1631296.jpg)
