: 21 May 2012 1:09:44pm Just an addition to the discussion of Pascal's Wager, and a fairly gigantic hole. If you are placing your wager, your chips and indeed life, on the decision to involve and envelope yourself in religion, how do you know you are choosing the right one? There's many, many religions, and even they may not be accurate depictions of whichever God may exist. It is in fact hugely improbable that the religion to which you expose yourself is the correct one, even if the decision to devote yourself to theology seems broadly wise. (as a side note, Pascal believed in a judeo-christian god, catholic specifically. the 'atheists wager' so called is that a benevolent god such as he would not punish a good man for a life lived in atheism. he wouldn't be so petty) Marcus : 16 Jun 2012 5:25:31pm I only have time to answer the Phenomenological issue for you. One constructs one's own awareness; it is not beamed in by Martians. It is one's construct and one has no right to say it is real except for oneself, but that is enough. With our construct we reason, and our reasoning tells us that the world corresponds in many ways to our construct. Light waves are accurately captured by eyes, and sound waves by ears, and we are suited by evolution to know the world around us. My awareness is my construct, but my construct informs me that I have good reason to say