4762. [4790] CONCERNING THE FALLACIES OF THE SENSES. I spoke with spirits concerning the fallacies of the senses; and one was present who had believed scarcely anything save what the senses perceived. It was shown what fallacies of sense are, and this to the life, by means of representatives, as is customary in the other life: namely, that it is a fallacy of sense (1) that the eye sees from itself; when, yet, it is the spirit that sees, as was shown by the fact that spirits see through my eyes; also, that the ear hears, the tongue tastes, the nostrils smell, the body feels. (2) That the body lives, and not the spirit in the body. (3) That man, spirits and angels live from themselves; and yet it was shown that it is through other When others are removed from a spirit, he falls, as it were, dead, and is held in a life, of which he is in himself destitute, by spirits of an interior sphere; he also lives according to the society in which he is - and every one does so. (4) It is a fallacy of sense that the sun rises and sets; when yet the earth revolves. It was shown, by means of the whole heaven with the stars, that it [the earth] goes round every twenty-four hours; and it is not probable that so large a globe as the sun should accomplish several thousands of miles every moment, and its flame should appear everywhere; and, nevertheless, it is a fiery globe. It was shown that the planets [like] the moon revolve and are turned round; that they are moons;* and that the earth is relatively a small globe. (5) Fallacies of sense were shown by a mirror, behind which there appears to stand [a person] like one's self; silver vessels were placed [before] and were seen behind the mirror; and it was stated that if one should follow the fallacies of the senses, one could multiply riches indefinitely by means of a single mirror; when yet these things are fallacious. (6) And it was shown, that, by a fallacy of sense, the same one might be in different places at the same time, and that they would see themselves in both places. (7) It is a fallacy of sense, that color is in the flower, when yet it is from the sun's light thus modified. And it was stated that there are such fallacies without number; so that a man appears to himself to be at rest in a ship, when yet he is being borne along; and, that, when he beholds thence any fixed object, it appears to be moving and he to be at rest: and so, in innumerable oases. * The statement that the planets are "mood," must evidently be understood as referring to the resemblance between moons and planets in respect to the fact alluded to, namely, that the planets revolve around their sun, as the moons revolve around their planet.