How can you prove whether at this moment we are sleeping, and all our thoughts are a dream; or whether we are... — Plato

How can you prove whether at this moment we are sleeping, and all our thoughts are a dream; or whether we are awake, and talking to one another in the waking state?

Author: Plato

Insight: You can't actually know for sure—and that's kind of liberating. Most of us waste energy treating our doubts about reality like a problem to solve, when the real move is accepting uncertainty and acting anyway. Living fully doesn't require proof; it requires commitment.

Source: Theaetetus, 158b-c

/Quotes

How can you prove whether at this moment we are sleeping, and all our thoughts are a dream; or whether we are awake, and talking to one another in the waking state?

PlatoTheaetetus, 158b-c

Insight

You can't actually know for sure—and that's kind of liberating. Most of us waste energy treating our doubts about reality like a problem to solve, when the real move is accepting uncertainty and acting anyway. Living fully doesn't require proof; it requires commitment.

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Plato

Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, born around 428 BC in Athens, Greece. He is known for founding the Academy in Athens, one of the first institutions of higher learning in the Western world. Plato's philosophical works, including "The Republic" and "The Symposium," continue to be highly influential in Western philosophy.

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