Can we know we are being deceived during the present moment?

[BenSinner]

People often say “Maybe we are just being deceived and are in a state of mortal sin”

Here is my argument against that:

1. Our subjective language and definitions to concepts have to be absolutely true for us to believe them. One can’t believe in ANYTHING without being assured absolutely that what they believe in is true.
2. “Deception” is a concept we subjectively define. By this I mean we think “[This] is what deception is.”
3. We have to know with absolute certitude what the concept of “deceiving” even is before we could ever accuse ourselves of being deceived…If we are unsure what deception is, how can we ever accuse ourselves of being deceived?

 

[ahs]

I may be completely missing your point, but people do have a certain sense when someone is trying to deceive them. Maybe it’s not equally tuned in everyone, but I know in my own life experiences, and from the testimony of others, that [some/many] people can tell when someone else is trying to deceive them.

And I don’t get why someone would “accuse themselves of being deceived”? Being deceived is an act by someone else, an act which they do unto us. So, we could “accuse” someone of being deceptive, but I don’t see that we’d accuse ourselves of being deceived? Or do you just mean “how can we say we were deceived if we didn’t know that it was deception in the first place”??

 

[BenSinner]

“how can we say we were deceived if we didn’t know that it was deception in the first place”??

I’m saying “We can’t convince ourselves we are deceived if we don’t know what it is we’re being deceived of in the first place.”