For you, is perception equal to reality?

Question

That is, do you believe the information that you take in through sensory perception,[ i.e: what you see, hear, and feel] to be reality or could it all be a massive deception, much like what is portrayed in "The Matrix" for example.

Ok some of you say you BLIEVE perception to be reality but the whole point is we have no way of knowingg. How do we know that 'seeing' or 'hearing' isn't merely a computer program or something like that. Afterall why is it so hard to find a meaning to life? Maybe because our purpose is so dull and pathetic that we are not supposed to know its meaning... someone or something just doesn't WANT us to know.

Ok some of you say you BELIEVE perception to be reality but the whole point is we have no way of knowingg. How do we know that 'seeing' or 'hearing' isn't merely a computer program or something like that. Afterall why is it so hard to find a meaning to life? Maybe because our purpose is so dull and pathetic that we are not supposed to know its meaning... someone or something just doesn't WANT us to know.

Answer 1

Perception is based on only a small fraction of reality. For example, your eyes only perceive a small portion of the light spectrum, yet the rest of the spectrum that we can't see is still part of reality.

So, no, perception is not equal to reality. Perception only gives us a glimpse of reality, and we are generally clueless of that part of reality that our perceptions are not capable of detecting or interpreting.

Answer 2

It's human nature that what is perceived is typically believed. However, I am self-aware enough to realize that "reality" and my perception of it may be different.

I try to gather as much input as possible from all sensory sources, then make the best decision I can with the information I have a the time.

Answer 3

That one's a philosophical question--and a can of worms you can study and debate for years. Thinkers from Plato to Kant, Hume, Berkely, DesCartes... all have taken a crack at it. Blus dozens of others.

Here's (VERY briefly) my opinion. Perception does not automatically reflect reality. Clearly, you can see examples in which our perceptions are not accurate. For example, simple observation would lead you to believe the sun goes around the earth, rising and setting as it does so.

A more correct view is tha tour perceptions "map" reality. That is, our senses create a representation of external objects or events using the stimuli our senses detect. and anyone who has dealt with an infant knows tha tinterpreting that data is a learned skill.

The "map" may be more or less accurate--one of the key values of science is that it enables us to go beyond direct observation to create more accurate "maps" of reality.

As to whether our perception "equals" reality (or "not" as in the movie the "Matrix"--or variations thereof; the movie's premise is actually based on some philosophical arguements)--ultimately the question is, in my opinion, meaningless. Reality and perception are different things--but our knowledge of reality is bounded by what we are able to perceive (with whatever aids we devise, such as scientific method).

Questions about "the meaning of life" are equally philosophical--they involve making value judgements about what you consider worthwhile and what you choose as a belief system (i.e., religious beliefs). There is not (and for a number of reasons, cannot be) a definitive ("provable") answer to such questions.

If you really want to dig into this--start with the works of the philosophers I've mentioned (though I'd suggest summary versions--they are more readable--to start with) along with Aristotle, Spinoza, Locke (John), Hegel; and with regard to the epistomology of knnowledge, Karl Popper.

Answer 4

NO. Just the part of reality one perceives.
The missing aspects (those we don't perceive) can be discovered by other means, such as mathematics.
About if the reality is such, or an illusion or a deception is a question Philosophy is dealing with since long time.
In other sciences, complementary theories and experimental methods help discriminating between reality and illusion.

Answer 5

To me as a child and now as an adult to the child that still is within me, what I sense is my reality. To the scientist that is me as an adult real reality is something different which I have had some direct exposure to but most of which I have seen (read about) indirectly.

For example to a visually dominant person a tree is green but neuroscientists tell you that that green color (qualia) is put into your consciousness by the brain responding to a particular wavelength of light. The tree, which is made up of atoms forming molecules bathed in a shifting sea of electromagnetic photons of various wavelengths has no color and we have no real clue as to its "real color" since all electromagnetic radiation (light) reflected from it and into the eyes is the same except for wavelength.We thus "see through a glass darkly." The brain deceives one as far as color reality

Answer 6

It is our reality. What you percieve, what you believe, those things are real to you. And thus it is your reality. But, just as you can't say the blue i see is the same you see, neither can we say that everyone experiences the same reality. It can be relatively close, or it could be miles away.
As for the meaning of life, it is what you make it. The meaning of life is what you seek out of life. Like reality, this changes from person to person. However, their are generic roads from which to choose from. The first is that of the world, of the self. Is your purpose in life to seek your own pleasures, to seek wealth for yourself? If so, that is your meaning of life, you.
The other is that of the spirit, of serving others. Do you wish to spread your beliefs to others so that they can know what you know and that can save them, do you wish to help those in need, do you hold your relationships as your greatest asset in life? If so, that is your meaning of life, others. At least this is what i believe as a Christian.


I hope this focuses your reality, and your meaning of life.

Ryan

Answer 7

This is a great question. My background is technical. And what is perceived by the mind is not always proven by a meter. Through this experience, I have altered my analysis of sensory data, and have become more open minded. All is not always as it seems. Magicians do not make savage animals disappear and make beautiful women appear in their place. I try to look twice and think long. And I'm not always right.

Answer 8

I trust the senses, if that is the question. I have no reason not to. My senses protect and guide me. However, there is a distinction between perception and reality and I prefer to perceive reality whenever possible.

Answer 9

Perception is Opinion - Reality is Fact

Answer 10

There is only one ultimate reality. It exists whether I am here or not. It exists whether you are here or not. It will still be here long after we are gone, just as it has always been. My perception of the ultimate reality is just that, my perception, my processing of the information received.