Many of our materialist friends do not seem to know the difference between the epistemological categories of “self-evident” and “apparent.” I am providing this primer on the difference to help them understand. Here is a typical exchange where a materialist makes this category error. Barry: It is self-evident that torturing an infant for pleasure is evil. Materialist: Yeah, lots of things that have seemed self-evident have turned out to be false. For example, people used to believe it is self-evident that the earth is flat, and they were dead wrong. Where has M gone wrong? First, M has gone wrong on the basic factual premise of his comparison. The ancients knew the earth was round and even measured its circumference. … Continue reading “Self-Evident” Does Not Mean “Apparent”