It is true that 'I seem to see a table' does not entail 'I see a table'; but 'I seem to feel a pain' does entail 'I feel a pain'. So scepticism loses its force - cannot open up its characteristic gap - with regard to that which ultimately most concerns us, pleasure and pain.
Interpretation
The quote discusses the nature of perception and the certainty of feelings, asserting that while we can doubt what we see, we cannot doubt our feelings of pleasure and pain.
Galen Strawson's quote highlights a significant philosophical distinction between visual perception and sensory experience. It suggests that while one can question the validity of visual observations—such as whether a table is truly there—one's experiences of pleasure and pain are undeniable and cannot be subjected to the same level of skepticism. This indicates that when it comes to our fundamental sensations and emotions, skepticism falls short as these experiences truly matter to us.
In practice
During a philosophical lecture on the nature of reality, this quote might be used to emphasize the difference between skepticism and personal experience.
I’ve worked in an economy that rewards someone who saves the lives of others on a battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-you notes from parents, but rewards those who can detect the mispricing of securities with sums reaching into the billions.
We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us.
Selfishness is not living your life as you wish to live it. Selfishness is wanting others to live their lives as you wish them to.
Cooking is a philosophy; it's not a recipe.
It is generally understood that men don't aspire after the absolute right, but only to do about as well as the rest of the world.
It is only by enlarging the scope of one’s tastes and one’s fantasies, by sacrificing everything to pleasure, that the unfortunate individual called Man, thrown despite himself into this sad world, can succeed in gathering a few roses among life’s thorns
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