What is the argument that life IS an illusion?

Answer 1

I would not say that life is an illusion but rather how we perceive this aspect of life as being, it is our perceptions that essentially cast an "illusion." Considering that what we perceive as hard concrete reality is invoke just our minds interpretation of frequencies that transcend space/time.

The material world is actually non-material, atoms are mostly empty, and everything is essentially vibration (interaction of molecules).

Here is what some Physicist said,

In his book, Urbausteine der Materie, physicist Walter Thirring on matter that modern physics “has put our thinking about the essence of matter in a different context. It has taken our gaze from the visible - the particles - to the underlying entity, the field. The presence of matter is merely a disturbance of the perfect state of the field at that place; something accidental, one could almost say, a ‘blemish’. Accordingly, there are no simple laws describing the forces between elementary particles… Order and symmetry must be sought in the underlying field.”

Einstein: “We may therefore regard matter as being constituted by the regions of space in which the field is extremely intense… There is no place in this new kind of physics both for the field and matter, for the field is the only reality”

Einstein: "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one"

Basically what appears as being solid is not really solid. It's all our minds interpretation, basically. But being that I am a mystic I go one step further and say that reality isn't an illusion but an allusion, as all things are an vibration of thought within our consciousness.

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Edit - The argument would be that this life is dependent upon the sensory system and everything is transitory, that's my guess from a perspective that someone may say.

Answer 2

I haven't heard much of that argument, but it seems to me that we tend as a society to live in an illusion. We forget about everything but our everyday struggles and don't seem to realize that we are here and can do anything we want to while we are here. However we aren't here forever. Everything seems so horribly urgent for us to be doing, but no one seems to take the time and enjoy anything. That in my opinion is an illusion.

Answer 3

Some question the very essence of what they see and experience with their body's senses. I think it's natural to surmise that your life could be an illusion (or a simulation). That's part of the absurdity of human life.

Answer 4

Whoever argues that Life is an Illusion, just borrow some money from them, and then don't pay them, for it was all in Illusion and they are really not here.

Answer 5

That there is no basis for describing life as it is soley an
individual perception. Therefore, your particular take
on life is merely an illusion to somebody else....and if
you actually believe the structure others might tend to
build for you as a "model" of life, then it IS only an
illusion.

Answer 6

Life can be difficult to define. They're still debating whether viruses are alive--they have most of the recognized characteristics of life, but seem to be lacking others. As far as YOUR life be illusory, it's counterproductive to delve too deep---just run with it. Unless you're into Zen---then questions like that can be seen as a vehicle to Enlightenment.

Answer 7

there are many takes on this, to me the one that has the deepest meaning is this-

the illusion is that we are separate- that we percieve ourselves as individual beings that aren't connected to each other, we perceive ourselves as individual entities, separate from each other and seperate from the Divine

this sounds like a contradiction, but greater truth lies within the contradiction

in truth we are all connected, part of the One, connected to each other, part of the One Life that Is ..

I am that I am...You are that You are

Answer 8

Because you can't prove 'existence' without making reference to things that have to 'exist'. That makes it a circular definition (and a circular argument) that's logically inconsistent.
It's one of those little paradoxes that crop up when you start looking real closely at the true nature of 'reality' (whatever that means) and logic.

Doug

Answer 9

are we man dreaming of being a butterfly or butterfly dreaming of being man