Facts are usless, prove it.....HUH? ~.`

So the blog topic is as thus: If facts themselves never prove or disprove anything, what else is involved in the proof of a statement? OKAY. So let's rewind a bit here. Facts. What are they, how do we see them, how are they used?

What is a fact? One edition of Webster's Dictionary defines fact as "thing known to be true; deed; reality." Dictionary.com defines fact as:
1.something that actually exists; reality; truth: Your fears have no basis in fact.
2.something known to exist or to have happened: Space travel is now a fact.
3.a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true: Scientists gather facts about plant growth.
4.something said to be true or supposed to have happened: The facts given by the witness are highly questionable.

Now I particularly want to look at number 3. "A truth known by actual experience or observation." As we've discussed in class, experience is based entirely on perspective of the individual. Therefore, facts themselves must be subjective to the experience of the observer. For example, a man looking from one side of a two-way mirror is going to see nothing but his reflection. This leads the man to take as fact that it is a mirror. The person on the other side, however, is subject to a different facet of reality. She sees the man on the other side, leading her to assume that the "mirror" is in fact transparent and is more of a window. The perspectives of the two individuals in this case dictates what they view as fact.
Fact is not just based on perception. Facts change as time changes. Take for instance a recent occurrence in my own life. On December 18, my sister-in-law was pregnant. As of ten o'clock that night, however, her pregnancy was no longer a fact. She had delivered the baby, and the facts changed. She went from being pregnant to having been pregnant. Facts are not the concrete, immovable things they are so commonly believed to be. Facts are as subject to the perceptions and whims of the observer as anything else.

So we return to the question of what else is involved in the proof of a statement? Well this begs the question: proof of what? Are you attempting to convince someone that what you believe to be true should be true in their eyes as well? Our class has already discussed the ramifications of "truth" and its associated deceptiveness and slyness. In the most basic of descriptions, truth itself is subject to the experience and perception of its observer. So this almost equates to a run-around statement. How can we prove something that is subject to perception using our very sense of perception itself? The answer is simple: there is no spoon. The answer does not lie within the actual proving of the statement. Success is achieved when both participants of the proof are aware of the statement and its implied associations. Each participant is then left with the choice of making his or her own belief of the statement and what it means to them. Their perceptions dictate its meaning and it is therefore unlikely that they will come to a complete agreement on the matter.

Perception is the very tool of the human mind. Truth, fact, belief, all are dependent on the perception of the viewer. So what is perception?
Definition according to one edition of Webster's Dictionary: SEE PERCEIVE. Of course, it does. Okay, over to perceive then. Definition: obtain knowledge of through senses; observe; understand.
According to Dictionary.com: the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.

The common thread? The senses. Observation. All of these factors are linked to the observer and their experiences on the matter. While my mother may see her curtains as fuscha (as what?), I only see them as being pink, given my color blind status (and complete lack of understanding as to what in the world fuscha even is).

In essence, all that can be accomplished by trying to "prove" something to someone else is the confusion associated with wondering why your compatriot, who you thought to be so sane and knowledgeable just moments before, is completely and utterly off their rocker. :D

First Post

The first post of my IB blog. And if I wasn't being forced to update it all the time, it could be the last too. XD Just kidding. I am totally siched about this class though. Epistemology. Even the word sounds cool. The study of what we know and how we know it. It is intriguing, instigating and intoxicating. Here is where I get to ask questions like "Does our perception on perception alter the way we perceive things?" Oh this is going to be so much fun. :D