Quote:
Originally Posted by dissonance
"Why should we trust them?"
Well, we don't really have a choice. I mean, we cannot justify them, because in order to justify them, we must use them as premises.
A hidden premise in all induction is "the future resembles the past". There is no way to justify this premise without using it.
Rejecting that premise, though, leaves us worse off (from a pragmatic standpoint). We must just accept it, as evolution pretty much guarantees that it makes us more fit.
There is no way to get to objective truths as a human. It's a limitation we cannot get around. It's unsatisfying, yes, but what can we do?
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What if nirvana can only be only be achieved once one leaves reason behind? What if the realization that ultimate reality cannot be grasped by human reason is the first step toward the only source of lasting satisfaction?
Whether you choose to accept this or that premise depends on what you want, and what you want is determined by what you believe to be real. If you believe the world to be an illusion due to ignorance, and that becoming aware that all is one, and that therefore you are eternal, will release you from all suffering, then you will not accept that the future necessarily resembles the past, because the world in which we use this premise is illusory.
So, from a pragmatic standpoint, how do you know that you are not worse off for believing that the future will resemble the past?