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Thank you so much for pinging me to your discussion with bigcat00!

Can we really trust what is observable by means of our senses? Our senses do not detect the quantum world, though the physicists tell us it is there, and have found ways to "observe" it -- via mathematics, not direct sensation. How much do our senses really report of the actual structure of the universe?

Indeed. The eyes and mind are a great example. We struggle to perceive in 4 dimensions.

A great article on the subject: The Curse of Dimensionality (pdf)

Thanks for your responses. As to Aristotle and the senses, there seems to be this distressing tendency in pop philosophy at least to jump from the fact that our senses may not correctly perceive everything possible(subatomic or quantum physics, for example - or is it just that we don't have the proper instruments of observation yet?) to the conclusion that there is, therefore, no truth. It seems that we all do in fact trust our senses most of the time, such as while we are driving down the freeway at 65 mph between two semis, unless we know there is a defect, in which case we do something like get a pair of glasses and compensate for it.

I guess the point for me is, that as a rational being (at least I like to think of myself that way), my senses are enougn to allow me to know the world and to draw certain conclusions from it based on my observations. To use an example, having observed lots of girls and boys (as a dad and a coach) one of my conclusions is that boys and girls are different by nature. That type of conclusion - in fact, the possibility of that type of conclusion - would be denied by some, who deny nature itself.

Now, as a Christian, I find much in Aristotle entirely consistent with Christianity. If God made the world, surely He made it in some kind of consistent, knowable way so we can get around and figure it out and make sense of it and of ourselves. We have a nature that we can know. One does not have to be a Christian to figure out that much, and Christians and others can have common ground to that extent (as Paul seems to suggest in Romans).

So, whether our senses are ultimately reliable to detect every possible phenomena seems to be a differnt question that whether they are reliable enough to do what I think both Plato and Aristotle were concerned about (and what the point of Christianity is to a great extent): live the right kind of life.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Thanks again for providing a great and thoughtful discussion.