Do you think the way we see our physical world?

Question

really just an illusion?

Answer 1

real

One can conceive all sorts of philosophies and metaphysical concepts. These are only due to our brain having the ability to think and create possibilities.

One could even propose that atoms contain more space than matter. This does not make a building an illusion.

If you cut your hand, do you not bleed?

Life is not an illusion. We may wish it were at times but just because we have the ability to dream that life could be an illusion with our brains, does not make it so.

The mind has the ability to imagine many things but not all of these things are concrete in nature. That is why it is called an imagination. If I think with my mind that the book in front of me is just an illusion, does that actually make it an illusion? No.

There may or may not be a spiritual world which exists beyond our physical senses. But the physical world surely does exist.

Answer 2

Scientia is right on the money. People can find all sorts of metaphysical, ontological, and philosophical arguments about the nature of reality. It's an academic pi$$ing contest. Who can out-talk the others and sound ever so intellectually vast. But it boils down mostly to semantics.

There was the age-old question, "If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make any noise?" Well, our understanding of natural phenomena, including perception, indicates the answer is no. Noise happens in the mind. But does it make a shock wave? Yes. Does it radiate energy? Yes. One answer which supposedly represents the (scientific) perspective of quantum mechanics, suggests that there really isn't any tree in the first place. This is where the argument departs reality. Reality must have some relevance or meaning. If you divide everything up into pieces so small, it becomes impossible to know anything, like looking at a greatly magnified photograph doesn't reveal any more information, just an indistinct pattern of seemingly meaningless dots.

One might also argue that we never really touch anything because of the electron repulsion barrier at the atomic level. True, but this now goes past our meaningful definition of "touch." When the electromagnetic repulsion of the electrons in my finger repel the electrons of an object to the point where an interaction can occur or I can feel it, then *that*, by definition, is touching.

You can divide an apple pie down to where it is not apples, crust, or pie. Just atoms. Does this make it any less a pie? No, not if everything isn't substantially changed in the process.

Our generally common perceptions, along with the technological enhancements that aid our senses, provide a pretty good basis for reality. Anything which makes it so fuzzy as to be inconceivable is just artful, argumentative overindulgence.

Answer 3

If they are just illusions, then how come people can agree that they are seeing the same event occurring? If you want to get philosophical, using the philosophies of Descartes, we can't tell with 100% certainty that anything we perceive is for real. Our senses can be wrong at times which means they aren't fool proof. You could be dreaming everything going on in your life. So how do you know anything exists? We don't know for sure, but you do know that you exist because you are thinking. In order to think, you have to exist to be making these thoughts. So the saying, "I think therefor I am" - Descartes, is basically saying that your existence is the only thing you can 100% prove.

Answer 4

its possible. the only way u sense everything around you is by electrical signals going to your brain. but the fact that everyone interprets the exact same thing the exact same way makes it pretty easy to see that the world we see around us is really there. the only way it could be is if everyone around you was just a fabrication of your own mind (there are some people who think that).

now in some ways yes. take color for an example. matter itself has no color, the light reflecting off of it does.

and if you are referring to something like the matrix, give me a break...

Answer 5

MATTER: The Other Name for Illusion

What is explained in this book is an important truth, which has surprised many and changed their perspectives on life. This truth can be summarized as follows: "All events and objects that we encounter in real life-buildings, people, cities, cars, places-in fact, everything we see, hold, touch, smell, taste and hear-come into existence as visions and feelings in our brains".

We are taught to think that these images and feelings are caused by a solid world outside of our brains, where material things exist. However, in reality we never see real existing materials and we never touch real materials. In other words, every material entity which we believe exists in our lives, is, in fact, only a vision which is created in our brains.

This is not a philosophical speculation. It is an empirical fact that has been proven by modern science. Today, any scientist who is a specialist in medicine, biology, neurology or any other field related to brain research would say, when asked how and where we see the world, that we see the whole world in the vision center located in our brains.

This fact has been scientifically proven in the twentieth century, and although it may seem surprising, it necessarily implies answers to two questions; "If our lives are visions created in our brains, then who is it that creates these visions? And who is it that sees these visions in our brains without having eyes and enjoys them, gets excited and happy?" You will find the answers to these two important questions in this book.
http://www.harunyahya.com/matter.php

Answer 6

Einstein said it best.
"The Universe is an illusion, albeit a persistant one."