reality: fact or fiction?
Describe this object
Philosophy degree
Is it a waste of time?
I wonder, if I may. Is your question more concerned with what a thing is, rather than what reality is? What are colours to a blind man, or sound to the deaf? What is the child's imaginary friend? - a. A spoof to fool parents, a subtext to say "leave me alone!" prior to the verbal skills and/or confidence?, or indeed an instinct and need to impress or appease the parent somehow. or b. Something best left to a psychic trained to remove it? Similar with the question of God, Is the definition the same for a Christian as to a Budhist, or Even a Catholic and a protestant? Now we're onto the definition of individual reality and whether our beliefs will prove to be the same in reality -when it is revealed. A case of everything depends on your angle or perspective, situation etc., etc. Before we can answer the question, we must first decide if we can prove reality exists and therefore what is it comes next. To help in the search the Question in Western philosophy of "If a tree falls and no-one hears it does it make a sound?" Here the question misleads us into trying to answer with a yes or no statement. The answer needed is even more pithy than the question. It is The tree itself doesn't make a sound, the sound does however exist and is caused by the uprooting of earth, and clashing of branches to ground etc. If the question was "Is the sound heard?", that has to be no because the question implies that no-one was around, but if some-one is miles away but has the hearing of a near superhuman. Then s/he hears the sound and for them their esp hearing is a reality. The evidence presumably, though no-one can prove it as they weren't there is there's one less tree standing in the woods. Reality then is "what is", not "what can be proved". We know this because the question states that 'under the condition of' (ie. IF... - "a tree falls"). Having said all that, if it hasn't what is the point of asking in the first place??? If we have a dream, that dream might become reality. The dream is only reality to those experiencing it. That may be one person, or several together. So dreams exist in reality. The reality is we wake up and have a chance of remembering. We may have got a present in the dream, we know the present isn't real (yet) because we don't have it yet. It may represent something that is or will become real. Real in this case is defined as in our conscious or waking life. Which in turn shows reality not only depends on your perspective but also on your definition/s. Thank You for the question, and double if you read and liked my answer.
some further thoughts
- New and old Proverbs
Does our society collect proverbs , and is western philosophy any better than sitting through a mothers union meeting? An attempt to collect peoples spare, random thoughts via the comments section. - The Wise Man
A brief but thought provoking discussion on the search to attaining wisdom and knowledge
Comments
Objective reality exists all around you. Your own subjective reality is in part determined by your own ability to reflect on that objective reality and to grasp an undestanding of it.
A famous Post Graduate Question: "Prove to me that this chair exists."
The Winner awarded an A+ simply wrote "What Chair!"
Now, is that the easiest degree in the world or what!!! I bet they're on loads of money as well!
It would've been more honest to write, 'I can't. I'm too stupid to, incapable of proving it to you!'
Can I have my Post Graduate Qualification now please!!!
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