We want “tangible,““palpable” evidence. This is the most strikingly
seen when, on perceiving a sign marked “Wet
Paint,“people will approach and apply a finger
to the surface in order to make quite sure
that the paint is either wet or not. What we
perceive through our other senses as reality
we at best take to be nothing more than a
good hypothesis subject to confirmation by
touch. We ultimately believe nothing that we
cannot touch. We understand little that is not
within the “grasp” of our understanding.
These are not mere metaphors.