What is reality?
Just because it’s all in your head, doesn’t mean it’s not real.
Some define “reality” as the physical state of things—the way they “actually exist”—as distinguished from how they are conceptualized, or imagined, in our minds. Thus, the consciousness existing in our minds is often mistrusted and deemed a poor judge of reality. But this poses a question: Can reality be judged without consciousness?
We don’t claim to answer definitively that age-old question pondered by philosophers and scientists: “What is reality?” Nor do we aim to explore it exhaustively. Yet, we will raise some interesting conjectures posited by respected philosophers and scientists on that topic of all topics.
Physicist Steven Nahn of MIT, who found evidence in 2012 for the Higgs boson particle, once said on a Science Channel program, “I absolutely believe reality is a real thing, but that does not mean we understand it.”
Is Reality Just Something We Agree On?
In the dystopian novel by George Orwell “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” the government was all powerful. When they determined that 2+2=5, society was so fearful that they didn’t dare disagree. The fallacious notion became reality. Anyone who said 2+2=4 was wrong.
While this may seem preposterous, that 2+2=5, one may ask: to what extent do such societal agreements shape reality elsewhere in our lives, in subtler ways perhaps?
Humans sometimes do conspire to found a reality. The value ascribed to a dollar note, for example, represents neither the value of the paper it’s made of nor the ink used in its printing. Its value stems from our collective agreement.
Philosophy Now magazine poses a question: “What is the nature of reality?” It examines a problem arising from when we base reality on our collective agreements. “Promises, agreements, treaties are real only so long as they can be trusted,” they write. “Some plans and commitments are called unreal because we know they will come to nothing.”
Peter Russell—who studied mathematics and theoretical physics at Cambridge University before switching his focus to experimental psychology—wrote on his website:
“It is sometimes said that our image of reality is an illusion, but that is misleading. It may all be an appearance in the mind, but it is nonetheless real—the only reality we ever know.
The illusion comes when we confuse the reality we experience with the physical reality, the thing-in-itself.”
Is Reality Inseparable From Consciousness?
Reality is and always shall be a function of our consciousness. Some of the most prominent scientists of our time tell us this. One may as well face the fact—even if some branches of science still have not.
In his book “Margins of Reality,” Robert G. Jahn, professor of aerospace science and dean emeritus of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University, cites several attestations on the topic of consciousness and reality, drawing from famous minds:
Albert Einstein once said, “All concepts, even those which are closest to experience, are from the point of view of logic, freely chosen conventions, just as is the case with the concept of causality.”
The pioneering quantum physics Werner Heisenberg stated, “The same organizing forces that have shaped nature in all her forms are also responsible for the structure of our minds.”
Astrophysicist Sir James Jean proclaimed, “The concepts which now prove to be fundamental to our understanding of nature … seem to my mind to be structures of pure thought, … the universe begins to look more like a great thought than like a great machine.”
Sigmund Freud noted, “Our mental apparatus … itself is a constituent part of that world which we are to investigate.”
Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said:
“The intellect and matter are correlatives … one exists only for the other; both stand to fall together; the one is only the other’s reflex.
They are in fact really one and the same thing, considered from two opposite points of view.”
In Dr. Jahn’s own words, “Reality, encompassing all aspects of experience, expression, and behavior, is constituted only at the interface between consciousness and its environment … It is further presumed that the sole currency of any reality is information, which may flow in either direction; that is, consciousness may insert information into its environment as well as extract information from it.”
Is Reality All Just a Hologram?
One final possibility, postulated in the field of theoretical physics, holds that a higher dimensional plane might lie at the heart of reality.
While our three-dimensional world—the one we know and observe through our five senses—could be just a projection, a holograph, mimicking that transcendent space beyond our reach.
This is just one more theory proposed by scientists today.
See more here: theepochtimes
Header image: Quora
Editor’s note: perhaps Morpheus was right when he told Neo reality “is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you to the truth. A prison for your mind.” 🙂
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Howdy
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Consciousness, and pure thought. Sounds like it is right up krishnamurti’s street.
Perhaps theepochtimes should submit some articles to ‘Masters of health’, over on the right there.
“This is just one more theory proposed by scientists today”
Since theory is all scientists will ever know about the subject, I agree.
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Typhus
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Agree.
As before.
My cmts were to another then.
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Charles Chips
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In this dystopian “reality” governments world wide proclaim that covid jabs are safe and effective.
Kind of similar to 2+2=5 if you think about it.
And if you disagree…………
Reality is pretty much death and taxes. Every meat suit expires and every “government” taxes.
That and lies.
That is what man offers.
I put my trust elsewhere.
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This is your wakeup call
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For me reality is that this earthly life is a test.
A proving ground. An obstacle course. A journey.
I believe it was never meant to be enjoyed or relished as the system would have us believe.
The creator wants to see what we are really like with an opportunity to visit pleasure island like Pinocchio. Are we worthy? Are we redeemable? Does the creator want us around in the kingdom after the test(s) are complete?
Can we learn? Can we respect and love? Can we overcome evil?
Will we do what is “right” even when we think nobody is watching?
This life appears to be a lifelong test of one’s true character.
Everything else is just details.
That is my reality.
What’s yours?
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Howdy
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“What’s yours?”
This life is not mine. It is not under my complete control. This body is a one lifetime vehicle with a particular set of traits imbued on the birth date and birth location, plus past experience, that will allow a particular theme, or set of tasks to be accomplished, or not, dependent on the ‘operator’ and how the traits are utilized. The operator is of course, Divine. I do not reference the ‘soul’. Once the set tasks are completed satisfactorily, the body will be laid to rest and a new one will take it’s place for a new lifetime. The new mortal will not know of the old, though the operator will.
After the process is complete (Many lifetimes) The final body may be reborn into the spiritual and thus a new chapter will begin, perhaps not of the mortal realm.
The life may be easy, or hard, dependent on Karma, and what is being lived. Balance must be maintained, so a ‘good’ life that had opportunities wasted may result in the opposite situation next time to redress the balance. In order to know both sides, one must experience both sides.
In order to know the ultimate good, one must live the ultimate evil also, in order to know what is the mid-point, and you may be aware of ‘the middle path’.
If one is murdered or abused, they must live the life that balances that out by possibly swapping the roles of the two parties next time that would ensure balance is maintained and proper depth is realized.
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Typhus
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Karma…a control mechanism invented long ago. To keep believers in tow.
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Typhus
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A school house. A training ground.
Perfect.
It is simple.
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Gennadiy
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Reality is the idealism of mankind with a negative sign.
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nohomehere
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PSI posts articles that talk about things I thought were only my isolated curiosity but it reveals that I am not alone in my perceptions of reality and my questions don’t seem so far out.. .. thank you to all at PSI !
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