Dpar comments on Making Beliefs Pay Rent (in Anticipated Experiences) - Less Wrong

110 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 28 July 2007 10:59PM

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Comment author: Dpar 09 August 2010 07:01:01PM -2 points [-]

If you adapt that position, then the belief in ghosts for instance will result in the sensory experience of reading or hearing about them, no? Can you then point to ANY belief that doesn't result in a sensory experience other than something that you make up yourself out of thin air?

If the concept of sensory experience is to have any meaning at all, you can't just extrapolate it as you see fit. If you can't see, hear, smell, taste, or touch an object directly, you have not had sensory experience with that object. That does not mean that that object does not exist though.

DP

Comment author: Unknowns 09 August 2010 07:11:15PM 2 points [-]

Yes, ghost stories are evidence for the existence of ghosts. Just not very strong evidence.

There can be indirect sensory evidence as well as direct.