2. Melvin Chapman existed.

Melvin Chapman existed. He was a real person. He was my grandfather. I know this because I know people who knew him. There is a lineage of reliable sources-- in fact, there are multiple reliable lineages, because I know many people who knew him personally. All of these people agree that he existed, and have many stories and characterizations that agree and corroborate one another. I know that none of them are mentally disabled or insane, and on the whole their memories are quite good. Also corroborating the memories are census records-- the names and ages and locations match with stories that I have been told. Thus, I believe in his existence although I have no memories of my own to attest to that. Melvin Chapman lived.

Objectively, I cannot prove this. It relies on the assumption that I myself am a reliable source to be trusted. I would like to believe that I am, but a skeptic would not take that at face value. As such, we have reached an impasse.

1. Ibn Khaldun is civilized.

Ibn Khaldun's idea of civilization boils down to the idea of human social organization. This would mean that a non-civilization is a society that has no organization.

In the end, it is all just semantics. Call it civilization, call it society, but the context of the conversation informs the meaning. Use of the word civilization has heavy connotations relating to Greek Civilization and Roman Civilization and Civilizations in the classical sense. This, to me, supposes that a civilization necessitates having a philosophical tradition. This then extends to a value system defining a civilization. My background is in religious studies, therefore yes, I believe that religions can blossom into civilizations. Catholic civilization is defined by valuing the Pope and his rulings, Jewish civilization by valuing Torah learning, to simplify. But one can function in more than one civilization. Maimonides lived within Islamic civilization in Egypt, and most likely participated in that civilization, by paying taxes under the Islamic system and speaking and writing in Arabic. However, he also participated in Jewish civilization through his insights into Jewish law. However, one can expand the definition of a civilization beyond simply a religious definition. These civilizations are defined by their institutions.

The boundaries of what is and is not a civilization are fuzzy. The comparison that comes to mind is the difference between a language and a dialect; the famous saying is that a language is a dialect with an army and a navy. A dialect gets recognized as a language when it has the political will to enforce the designation. Perhaps a civilization is any political organization that is able to enforce the designation. However, this does not sit quite right because often a society does not get designated a civilization until it is long gone (think Maya and Aztec). Perhaps, then, a civilization only becomes so when it generates enough of a cultural impact to be remembered. If so, it hardly seems relevant to discuss current civilizations, because the designation cannot be allotted until the civilization is long gone and its impact can be quantified.