Perception is reality: True or False?
- Thread starter Gaze
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As long as you can draw the same conclusions for a situation: like "I believe the sky is blue" or "I believe the sky is a reflection of the ocean"
They are both true, but arrive at the same conclusion differently. As long as perception lies on the same spectrum as the objective truth, which is one that I believe can be measured, observed, and proven with a variety of methods. Perception is to reality as the customary/metric systems are to measurements.
"My finger is 1 inch" is no less true than "My finger is 2.54 cm"
Perception and reality are different...but oh I think I may be getting brain freeze. Since we CREATED the current measuring system, did we create reality? We make our own rules? Or we just gave a name to all natural phenomena?
They are both true, but arrive at the same conclusion differently. As long as perception lies on the same spectrum as the objective truth, which is one that I believe can be measured, observed, and proven with a variety of methods. Perception is to reality as the customary/metric systems are to measurements.
"My finger is 1 inch" is no less true than "My finger is 2.54 cm"
Perception and reality are different...but oh I think I may be getting brain freeze. Since we CREATED the current measuring system, did we create reality? We make our own rules? Or we just gave a name to all natural phenomena?
Reality: Ultimate enlightenment about the Universe; it's properties conception and meaning and our place in it
Perception: Our very limited ability to comprehend reality. If you ask me, I couldn't quantify it. I would probably sarcastically put a decimal point followed by a whack of zeros to the end of this page and then a one and a percentage symbol to signify our understanding of reality in numerical terms and even then it would not suffice.
Our perceptions are our only means of comprehending reality and they comprise our senses, intuition and cognitive abilities, but even with those we are extremely limited. To give an example, we only see a small portion of reality (light). What we perceive as our reality has changed over the course of the history of humanity and thus our definition of reality keeps changing. Ancient man's definition of reality was much different than our own. We can invent tools to increase our abilities but still we are extremely limited.
Then of course there is always the subjectivity of reality. Each one of us experience reality differently. We see things differently and we feels things differently. There are similarities for sure, but we are always alone in our own perceptions.This is why we try to bridge the gap of our perceptions with language, symbols, art and communication to define our reality to advances our understanding of ultimate reality.
Perception: Our very limited ability to comprehend reality. If you ask me, I couldn't quantify it. I would probably sarcastically put a decimal point followed by a whack of zeros to the end of this page and then a one and a percentage symbol to signify our understanding of reality in numerical terms and even then it would not suffice.
Our perceptions are our only means of comprehending reality and they comprise our senses, intuition and cognitive abilities, but even with those we are extremely limited. To give an example, we only see a small portion of reality (light). What we perceive as our reality has changed over the course of the history of humanity and thus our definition of reality keeps changing. Ancient man's definition of reality was much different than our own. We can invent tools to increase our abilities but still we are extremely limited.
Then of course there is always the subjectivity of reality. Each one of us experience reality differently. We see things differently and we feels things differently. There are similarities for sure, but we are always alone in our own perceptions.This is why we try to bridge the gap of our perceptions with language, symbols, art and communication to define our reality to advances our understanding of ultimate reality.
1. No, my perception is merely an observance of the current reality, with my brain filling in the blanks and such. With that being said, it IS my reality as far as I know.
2. I believe there is a absolute reality, but I do not think anyone lives in that reality. We all use our brains and bodies to perceive everything we can to the best of our abilities.
Oh, some Kantian stuff here, and Waking life, nice.
a. Some people and events surprise me more than I could surprise myself when I dream. So I believe it's not all in my head. Other people exist.
b. We have strikingly similar understanding of the majority of information. And since we are all different, separate brains, then objective reality exists.
c. We also have perceptive differences, so our perception is far from perfect. Each one is cognitively deceived in specific, defining ways.
Is perception reality? Subjectively, yes. Objectively, no.
Is reality merely a perception? --||--
"My perception is your reality" Subjectively, my perception of you is all that your reality will ever be for me. Objectively, I can influence your reality with my (wrong) perception of it, because I'm also part of reality, but one single perception, like mine, could never be all that your reality is. Even the total sum of perceptions of humanity of all times could not become your full reality, because you still have perceptions of your own, that were not influenced by any other perceptions.
edit: In the same context, I often wonder "What is proof?" ... I'm not satisfied with how dependent proof is on other people. If you are surrounded by blind people, you can't prove them colors. At the same time you could prove them things that are actually false. And here comes intuition. What if some things are obvious for me, that aren't for someone else. It turns out that it's more important for me to be able to prove the truth to the others, than just being able to find the truth. Cause if nobody could understand what I mean, then my knowledge becomes useless. It's really interesting, and frustrating at the same time. I'll give a concrete example with tests, on which you could identify the correct answers fast and accurately, but not being able to explain your reasons to a testing person. Which skill is more important in the end? Hard to determine, because collaboration is very important.
a. Some people and events surprise me more than I could surprise myself when I dream. So I believe it's not all in my head. Other people exist.
b. We have strikingly similar understanding of the majority of information. And since we are all different, separate brains, then objective reality exists.
c. We also have perceptive differences, so our perception is far from perfect. Each one is cognitively deceived in specific, defining ways.
Is perception reality? Subjectively, yes. Objectively, no.
Is reality merely a perception? --||--
"My perception is your reality" Subjectively, my perception of you is all that your reality will ever be for me. Objectively, I can influence your reality with my (wrong) perception of it, because I'm also part of reality, but one single perception, like mine, could never be all that your reality is. Even the total sum of perceptions of humanity of all times could not become your full reality, because you still have perceptions of your own, that were not influenced by any other perceptions.
edit: In the same context, I often wonder "What is proof?" ... I'm not satisfied with how dependent proof is on other people. If you are surrounded by blind people, you can't prove them colors. At the same time you could prove them things that are actually false. And here comes intuition. What if some things are obvious for me, that aren't for someone else. It turns out that it's more important for me to be able to prove the truth to the others, than just being able to find the truth. Cause if nobody could understand what I mean, then my knowledge becomes useless. It's really interesting, and frustrating at the same time. I'll give a concrete example with tests, on which you could identify the correct answers fast and accurately, but not being able to explain your reasons to a testing person. Which skill is more important in the end? Hard to determine, because collaboration is very important.
"if she this deny what can granted be..."
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....and ain't that the shits when it happens!! ;-)
I'm only half joking there, because as anyone with high functioning intuition, has most likely experienced sometimes you just KNOW. Part of the definition of intuition is that there is no discernible concrete proof out there. It's like you're picking truth out of the air somehow and yet this is how many amazing innovative discoveries have been made...the aHA!! moments
Yet, usually when it does happen, we're left being questioned empirically on HOW we know. And there is the crux of the matter (ha...a pun there) and that we are still in a material age.
It's my belief that one day we will advance from this materialism and be able to understand things more intuitively.
So, it's not that the knowledge is useless. On the contrary, it's often very useful. It's just that often it can't be corroborated until way after the fact. It's like the knowledge precedes our ability to prove it....if that makes sense.
That sounds wonderful! And like something that could be related to the id 'surreality'.
Just to give one more real life example: An old nurse came home, saw her husband, and said that he must go with her to the hospital immediately. He said he was fine, he really felt fine at that moment, he thought she was being paranoid. She couldn't present any concrete logical reason, even afterwards. She insisted, she brought him to the hospital... just before he was going to get a heart attack, as the testing showed. The explanation is that she has so much experience, that she could guess by complex subtle factors, without being fully aware of them - skin tone, sweat, breathing, eyes etc. Our modern obsession with reasoning and counter-criticism based on reasoning could even be dangerous: in this case, if she didn't trust her intuition, her husband could have died. Indeed, a lot of our intelligent decision-making is not based on clear conscious "if A then B" rules; attempting to make it so may even hurt our efficiency. To paraphrase the famous quote: Aristotle is dear to me, but the truth is dearer.
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Reality is reality.
Perception is not reality
and reality is not perception.
My perception is my reality.
My reality may not be your reality.
Your reality may be your perception.
Many people's perceptions may become reality.
Many people's reality may not become your perception.
Perception is not reality
and reality is not perception.
My perception is my reality.
My reality may not be your reality.
Your reality may be your perception.
Many people's perceptions may become reality.
Many people's reality may not become your perception.
No one was aware that the Earth is round did not change the reality that it is round, though everyone's perception was that the Earth was a big flat piece of land.
No one is aware that a sound has been made does not change the reality that a sound has been made.
It doesn't matter whether anyone hears it, the fact is it does make a sound.
Perception is one thing,
reality is another thing.
:ranger:
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If I am gaining weight I percieve the number on the scale as horrible. When I am losing weight I can see the same number and be happy. The reality is the number on the scale. How I percieve that number depends on the direction I am coming from.
Perception is absolutely not reality, in fact sometimes i feel like all i do is battle against perception being reality. First, most peoples' perception is inaccurate. Second, the facade, which is what average people perceive, hides what's beneath. Third, there are massive, falsifying entities everywhere designed to create your perception for you.
YEAH THAT'S RIGHT YO!
YEAH THAT'S RIGHT YO!
Reality is what we make it. In many ways, of course. There are limitations set forth by society, but reality, if our dreams, are what we make them. We can actualize our dreams. Thus, if our reality is based off our dreams (aspirations) and our ability to actualize those aspirations, reality is self-created.
Here's my premise - reality is experience.
Reality is a very fluid thing. It changes instantly depending upon how we are looking at it. This has even been proven by science now that just observing something changes the nature of it. Can't remember which branch of science exactly but then I'm not a dyed in the wool INTJ. So my reality is only a subset of what I choose to focus upon and so is the reality of others. If my cat dies for instance I have two choices, I can choose to focus upon the absence of my cat and feel bad or I can choose to focus upon the things in my life which are present and feel better. I have influenced my own experience of reality merely by directing my thought alone. Does it bring my cat back to life? No. Does it change my experience of that event? Yes. And since reality is just experience then I have changed my reality.
Then there is shared reality, those are the instances where we share the same circumstances with others and agree certain aspects of that experience. But it's only certain aspects. Two people can experience the same set of circumstances and disagree substantially on what actually happened because they are perceiving it differently. Their realities are only intersected not identical. This is true for the entire world and everyone in it.
I think the only real mistake to make in life is believing that reality is a solid, unchangable thing that is the same for everyone. From that point of view you are a victim of reality rather than a conscious creator and experiencer of it.
Reality is a very fluid thing. It changes instantly depending upon how we are looking at it. This has even been proven by science now that just observing something changes the nature of it. Can't remember which branch of science exactly but then I'm not a dyed in the wool INTJ. So my reality is only a subset of what I choose to focus upon and so is the reality of others. If my cat dies for instance I have two choices, I can choose to focus upon the absence of my cat and feel bad or I can choose to focus upon the things in my life which are present and feel better. I have influenced my own experience of reality merely by directing my thought alone. Does it bring my cat back to life? No. Does it change my experience of that event? Yes. And since reality is just experience then I have changed my reality.
Then there is shared reality, those are the instances where we share the same circumstances with others and agree certain aspects of that experience. But it's only certain aspects. Two people can experience the same set of circumstances and disagree substantially on what actually happened because they are perceiving it differently. Their realities are only intersected not identical. This is true for the entire world and everyone in it.
I think the only real mistake to make in life is believing that reality is a solid, unchangable thing that is the same for everyone. From that point of view you are a victim of reality rather than a conscious creator and experiencer of it.
Damn i wish I'd seen this thread when it first started.
Anyway. My too cents:
Perception is reality. Fact.
This is the one and only truth you can ever be sure of
My perceptions exist. I am really perceiving them. If i look at a blue cup i can be 100% sure that i am experiencing the perception of a a blue cup. I cannot be sure the cup really existst but i can be sure i am perceiving it.
This is what descartes meant by "i think therefore i am"
It may be that lots of other realities and perceptions exist. If so, they are also reality but it will never be possible to be sure of anything, and i mean literally anything other than the existence of my own perceptions. I can't even be sure that your perceptions exist. Just mine.
It seems overwhelmingly likely however that other realities do exist. If so, they are just as valid (and inaccurate) as my own
Anyway. My too cents:
Perception is reality. Fact.
This is the one and only truth you can ever be sure of
My perceptions exist. I am really perceiving them. If i look at a blue cup i can be 100% sure that i am experiencing the perception of a a blue cup. I cannot be sure the cup really existst but i can be sure i am perceiving it.
This is what descartes meant by "i think therefore i am"
It may be that lots of other realities and perceptions exist. If so, they are also reality but it will never be possible to be sure of anything, and i mean literally anything other than the existence of my own perceptions. I can't even be sure that your perceptions exist. Just mine.
It seems overwhelmingly likely however that other realities do exist. If so, they are just as valid (and inaccurate) as my own
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