Skip to main content

What is Reality?

Everyone is interested in reality.  Philosophers have devoted barrels of ink on this subject.  Yet, there remains no consensus on what it is, who perceives what, and whether we perceive was actually is.   Here are a couple of thoughts from an amateur.

A. When I look out the window, I see reality in the houses, trees, and grass around me.  Occasionally, I'll see birds, and more rarely a rabbit.  That is really real - at least to me.
B. When I look at the TV, I see a reality limited by the number of pixels given by my cable service, by the images transmitted, and by the colors I perceive.  A good TV gives an even better reality.
C. Here I sit at my computer, with a wood floor reflecting the image from the TV screen.  I can just barely make out the images, sometimes not at all.   Yet, this is the "floor" reality presented.  Not a good one.

This reflected reality makes me wonder what reality really is.  Are we only seeing reflections or shadows (Plato) or distortions and simply calling it reality?  The ABC's of reality are fully exemplified as thus.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Behavioral Science and Problem-Solving

I.                                       I.                 Introduction.                Concerning our general behavior, it’s high about time we all had some understanding of how we operate on ourselves, and it is just as important how we are operated on by others. This is the wheelhouse of behavioral sciences. It is a vast subject. It touches our lives constantly. It’s influence is pervasive and can be so subtle we never notice it. Behavioral sciences profoundly affect our ability and success at problem-solving, from the elementary level to highly complex wicked problems. This is discussed in Section IV. We begin with the basics of behavioral sciences, Section II, and then through the lens of multiple categories and examples, Section III. II.     ...

UNCERTAINTY IS CERTAIN

  Uncertainty is Certain G. Donald Allen 12/12/2024 1.       Introduction . This short essay is about uncertainty in people from both secular and nonsecular viewpoints. One point that will emerge is that randomly based uncertainty can be a driver for religious structure. Many groups facing uncertainty about their future are deeply religious or rely on faith as a source of comfort, resilience, and guidance. The intersection of uncertainty and religiosity often stems from the human need to find meaning, hope, and stability in the face of unpredictable or challenging circumstances. We first take up the connections of uncertainty to religion for the first real profession, farming, noting that hunting has many similar uncertainties. Below are groups that commonly lean on religious beliefs amidst uncertainty.   This short essay is a follow-up to a previous piece on certainty (https://used-ideas.blogspot.com/2024/12/certainty-is-also-emotion.html). U...

Mediocrity

 Once of the worst things that can happen to a young person is to be told their mediocre performance is good. For me, I was told the opposite, that my efforts would end me in failure. That was a spur that dug in deep. I would prove him wrong.  And I did.  Do not praise mediocrity, no matter how much it makes you feel good or your target.