It does. But I think you are underestimating just how much complication a belief in an unknown (or not yet known) reality brings with it. And it is an unsupportable position to claim “that what we have seen and measured is reality”. Measurement is obviously theory-laden. Sense data is too, though the theories involved are in the field of psychology and the neurosciences.
it seems to me the fact of our existence is pretty significant evidence that some kind of objective reality exists
One thing I notice you doing that you may not notice yourself: you are using the words “objective” and “subjective” as a kind of praise or condemnation. And you seem to associate the adjective ‘objective’ with the noun ‘reality’ as if ‘reality’ has a natural right to that adjective. But I am taking the position here that the only ‘reality’ you have access to is a subjective one (or, at best, intersubjective).
I think we pretty much understand each other at this point. I’m not trying to convert anyone—just to open some minds. And I apologize for my “maps all the way down’ crack that started the conversation. It came across as trollish, and I regret that.
It does. But I think you are underestimating just how much complication a belief in an unknown (or not yet known) reality brings with it. And it is an unsupportable position to claim “that what we have seen and measured is reality”. Measurement is obviously theory-laden. Sense data is too, though the theories involved are in the field of psychology and the neurosciences.
One thing I notice you doing that you may not notice yourself: you are using the words “objective” and “subjective” as a kind of praise or condemnation. And you seem to associate the adjective ‘objective’ with the noun ‘reality’ as if ‘reality’ has a natural right to that adjective. But I am taking the position here that the only ‘reality’ you have access to is a subjective one (or, at best, intersubjective).
I think we pretty much understand each other at this point. I’m not trying to convert anyone—just to open some minds. And I apologize for my “maps all the way down’ crack that started the conversation. It came across as trollish, and I regret that.