"Reality exists as an objective absolute—facts are facts, independent of man's feelings, wishes, hopes or fears."
This is something taken from a friend's blog.
Your thoughts?
2007-09-19 14:43:41 · 10 answers · asked by Linz ♥ VT 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
To answer this you need to get existential. Buddha would say that the reality we see before us is not actual reality. But regular people would say, if it quacks like a duck, its a duck.
I think Buddha is right although I wouldn't say I've realized it in the same way he has yet. This also has something to do with the impermanence of all things, yet the permanence of the spirit/soul/energy that you really are outside of your human form.
Deep stuff. Good question.
2007-09-20 00:25:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I agree; there is absolute truth. It's the most likely conclusion to draw from our experience. We as people can compare notes and work out a consistent, albeit sometimes convoluted, objective worldview.
I even tend to think there is an implicit order, per Bohm, underneath the quantum veil, although I get stuck when someone tells me that that's a hidden variables theory and its wrong. Screw locality, I say. I guess for me it's either that (Bohmian interp.) or the many-worlds interpretation. This stuff is all beyond my ken to decide.
2007-09-20 16:32:29 · answer #2 · answered by The Instigator 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Reality is an idea.
This is more easily understandable if one considers the actual scale of the components of an atom. If one takes into account the fact that the neutrons, protons and electrons of an atom actually have huge spaces between them it becomes clear that the atoms that make up seemingly solid objects are made up of 99+ percent empty space.
This alone does not seem too important till you add the idea that the atoms that make up seemingly solid objects are more of a loose conglomeration that share a similar attraction but never really touch each other.
At first glance this does not really seem relevant, but closer analysis reveals that this adds a tremendous amount of empty space to solid objects that are already made up of atoms that are 99 percent space. When so-called solid objects are seen in this light it becomes apparent that they can in no way be the seemingly solid objects they appear to be.
We ourselves are not exceptions to this phenomenon.
These seemingly solid objects are more like ghostly images that we interpret as solid objects based on our perceptual conclusions.
From this we must conclude that Perception is some sort of a trick that helps us to take these ghostly images and turn them into a world we can associate and interact with. This clever device seems to be a creation of our intellect that enables us to interact with each other in what appears to be a three dimensional reality.
I hope that helps to answered your question.
Love and blessings Don
2007-09-19 21:57:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I don't believe in absolutes. Other than that, I tend to agree with your friend. I don't think that reality is determined by human perception. Rather, the opposite is true. But human actions do impact reality, at least in a localized and superficial way.
2007-09-20 00:35:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are *real* facts and there can be a common reality, but everything passes through our own personal experience filters before it even consciously hits us. There is an objective reality and there are things that are subject and up to interpretation. Unfortunately, if you talk about such subjects theoretically without any concrete examples the conversation ultimately spirals into a semantical version of mental masturbation.
2007-09-19 21:56:16 · answer #5 · answered by Peter D 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I've always said reality is what it is, whether we see it or not.
I think that means the same thing as your friend's blog, just not as poetic sounding.
2007-09-19 22:36:13 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Quite true. There is still reality, even when there is no life at all. Only interpretations differ.
2007-09-19 22:15:46 · answer #7 · answered by Citizen Justin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you have a good point. but really reality can be seen as i think therefore i am due t the fact that realtiy is actually our perception of the world around us
2007-09-19 21:52:46 · answer #8 · answered by jamesfreerocker 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
150% agree
What else can you say? Reality just is. Sky daddies, hopes, dreams... don't change anything.
2007-09-20 13:49:24 · answer #9 · answered by vérité 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
mmm this depends on which reality you speak of...
The world was flat for years... and it was a reality for many many people....
But we all know that it really was not....
Perceived reality or actual reality
2007-09-19 23:29:48 · answer #10 · answered by autumm393 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋