Ludwig Wittgenstein, a philosopher, has said:
'It makes no sense to speak of knowing something in a context where we can not possibly doubt it. Therefore, saying I know I am in pain is completely senseless.'
If I say I see the world in blue, you can not doubt me because you can't see the world through my eyes. You can never verify if my blue is the same as your blue or it resembles your green.
I say I am in pain and you ask me to prove it. I can't.
I don't say I know I'm in pain for you to then turn around and ask me to prove it. I know for myself that I'm in pain. Within me, I have past experiences with which to compare my current state and thereby deduce that I Am in pain. I tell you I'm in pain, not for you to try and prove or disprove it, but because I want to know what to do with it or about it.
ReplyDeleteHe may make sense in other contexts, but taking pain as an example was foolish of him. 'Tis a touchy subject :)