Proof of an External World

External World

Man seems to be an innately selfish creature, unable to see a world outside of himself. Each man feels that he is the center of the universe and little logic can be used to change his mind on this regard. A man who does not accept the fact that he is not the center of the universe and that there is a world beyond his own mind, is limiting himself to a narcissistic existence devoid of true understanding.

In his lecture, "Proof of an External World," Moore makes it clear that as with all topics of philosophy, the proof is much up for interpretation and individual analysis. Things external to us, external things, and things external to our minds are all equivalent terms (70). The individual is more or less entirely his or her mind because it is in the process of thinking that a person exists, to paraphrase Descartes. Because so much of identity and understanding of the existence of self is concerned with the individual perspective and understanding that it is the ability to process intellectually that we do exist, it is easy to become numb to the external forces outside of that individual perspective.

Kant classified these external forces as "physical object," "material thing," or "body," but Moore stresses that there are equally important external factors that do not have physical depth such as a shadow but which still can be met with in space (71). So much of what is encountered in the external world may not have physical presence, but it exists all the same. Moore uses the example of a white star against a black back-drop, which when stared at for a period of time leaves an after-image. The resulting image, a grayish star upon a white sheet of paper, is still an object in space although it cannot be physically touched, nor is it observable to everyone unless they have also participated in the experiment. Yet, the gray star exists all the less. Not all things can be met in space. Things like the after-image of light which can only be viewed with eyes shut is not an example of an entity in the external world because it requires a closing off of reception to that external world.

If there is an external world, what then comprises the internal? As stated, a person's world is limited to the individual perception. Moore states that all human function can be classified into human experience. Everything a person lives through, either awake or asleep creates a human experience (79). Therefore everything a person engages in is filtered in a way to relate it back to that individual and how he or she relates to that experience. The world of every person is his or her experiences as they relate back to analysis and the thinking process because thinking is itself existing.