Quote: No, I mean literally - sense perception, such
as sight or hearing. Science is irrelevant. We see a tree in front of
us. Is it a tree? I don't know. I can never confirm for sure that it is a
tree regardless of how I observe it. Even if I look at its cells under a
micoscope or study its dna sequence, I can't tell for sure that
anything I'm looking at its real. Maybe the tree is actually a figment
of somebody's imagination. Maybe I'm dreaming. Maybe when I die I'll
wake up in a cramped space and realize that trees don't exist because
the universe decided to go LOLOLOLOL FUCK YOU.
But I have faith that it is a tree because I put faith in that what I see with my eyes is real.
...which is why we use the scientific method as the basis for our discoveries. As an Atheist, I take scientific fact above my senses because they are more flawed. It's not irrelevant because that is the basis of my belief, which doesn't require nearly as much faith as other religions.