Can We Prove Reality Exists?

Question of the week:  Do we know what reality is? Do we know if reality exists? Why do some scientists deny reality?

My answer: Human consciousness, in my opinion, cannot be explained if there is no reality and if there is no God. Rene Descartes’ famous declaration, “I think, therefore I am” still holds true. Also, plane geometry theorems, trigonometric parallax measurements, Newton’s laws of motion, and observations of electromagnetic radiation prove that the Sun, Moon, solar system planets, and stars are real physical bodies and must possess the physical properties that astronomers assign to them. So, yes, at least for entities as simple as stars, planets, and moons we know what reality is.

It is not just some scientists who deny reality. Many nonscientists do as well. What they all share in common is an unwillingness or a resistance to accept the philosophical implications of the existence of certain examples of physical reality. They engage in self-imposed ignorance. In my opinion, attempted denials of physical reality are another manifestation of what I read in Romans 1:18–25.

In Galatians 1:6–5:12 and Colossians 2:1–3:11, Paul addresses the problem of gnostic theology and declares such theology a heresy. Gnostics deny the existence of physical reality, claiming that the physical world is an illusion. Again, demonstrating the reality of nearby astronomical bodies through assumption-free detection methods, for people thinking rationally and logically, provides an effective refutation.