What is reality? How do you define what is real?

feywon said:
Not sure how light-hearted this will be, tho it could be interesting in fun. And humor welcome as long as not hostile or put-down type.

Neither a simple or just fun question. Take it as you will, just try to be clear about when you are quoting anyone, considering possible definitions and when you're stating your own opinions.

But several discussions have me wondering how various people on SF define reality. All i'll say for now is that for me reality is multi layered, multidimensional but clearly diverse definitions exist.

I am ever curious about the human mind. Please share your definition, feelings about it.
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We all observe the same reality, but it is how we interpret that which we see that is important. We live in our own version of reality. The most common manifestation of this is each individual's politically influenced view of the world and humanity -- something that we can't get into here.
 

Indeed 6. Expected at this point someone would count letter by letter without reading. The illusion is from our brain's frontal cortex Broca's area concerned with vocal speech together along with the aural area of the temporal lobe. There are 3 two letter OFs that people don't read as the F sound because English being full of inconsistencies, pronounces OF like OV. So even though one's eye's visually see the F's, the brain of native English speakers subconsciously filters such away as the V sound.

Our brains sense organs are not part of the minds's brain wave electromagnetic fields awareness that is a fully internal model. The occipital area of the brain actually contains an XY dimension gray matter field similar to the eyeball fields but is rebuilt to something else within a 6 layer hierarchy of similar neuronal structures common throughout mammal neocortexes.

Likewise, all our awareness of skin touch sensory and complementary motor senses are not at the sense locations but rather within a model area of the inner brain. This all reflects how per the OP thread our inner world does not always accurately reflect the external world but rather tries to model it. Not only we humans but also mice, lizards, fish, ants and all other animal species.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortical_homunculus

800px-Sensory_Homunculus-en.svg.png
 
There may be many ways to look at reality. One way, I’d say, truth is reality, an untruth
is lack of reality. We could say, to a young person, death is not realistic.
 
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feywon said:
Not sure how light-hearted this will be, tho it could be interesting in fun. And humor welcome as long as not hostile or put-down type.

Neither a simple or just fun question. Take it as you will, just try to be clear about when you are quoting anyone, considering possible definitions and when you're stating your own opinions.

But several discussions have me wondering how various people on SF define reality. All i'll say for now is that for me reality is multi layered, multidimensional but clearly diverse definitions exist.

I am ever curious about the human mind. Please share your definition, feelings about it.
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"Reality" has the same meaning and definition as "Truth." Both are indisputable facts.
A person does not get to make up his/her own "versions."
 
JaniceM said:
"Reality" has the same meaning and definition as "Truth." Both are indisputable facts.
A person does not get to make up his/her own "versions."
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Ah, but the realities of life are can be very different for different people, depending on their demographics and where they live. And truths some of hold dear are not supported by all.
 
I just thought of how a jury determines what the facts of a case are. Most people were outraged by the verdict in the OJ Simpson trial. What about what happened when JFK was shot? More important issues now are is there global warming or are vaccines safe for covid. People have been trying to find the truth about what life "IS" for hundreds of years. Even major basic things have been believed as the TRUTH, like the earth is the center of our solar system.
 
JaniceM said:
It doesn't matter whether someone sees/experiences/holds dear or not, facts are still facts.
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I think i understand what you mean, but i can't think of one fact that is absolute. Can you think of one?

Oh, that sentence about counting F's. There are 6 F's...that is a fact. I guess there are many more like this.
 
Paco Dennis said:
I think i understand what you mean, but i can't think of one fact that is absolute. Can you think of one?

Oh, that sentence about counting F's. There are 6 F's...that is a fact. I guess there are many more like this.
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

There are, of course, those who do not believe this.. those who do not practice it.. etc., but whether individuals believe or practice, they're still Fact.
 
JaniceM said:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

There are, of course, those who do not believe this.. those who do not practice it.. etc., but whether individuals believe or practice, they're still Fact.
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I think the word "hold" can be interpreted as "agreed upon" or "believed". I bet China has a different constitution that they hold as being true also? America's is absolute truth, and China's is not?
 
Paco Dennis said:
I think the word "hold" can be interpreted as "agreed upon" or "believed". I bet China has a different constitution that they hold as being true also? America's is absolute truth, and China's is not?
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When it says 'all,' it does not say 'all Americans,' or 'all in America.'
It doesn't matter whether one 'agrees upon' or 'believes' it or not, the statements are Fact.
 
Oh those are universal facts. Ok I understand. I still am unable to agree that those truths are self-evident, because it takes an observor to agree that they are indeed facts...truths. There are not two people that have ever existed who experience life exactly the same. I think that is a fact.
 
," "This sentence contains words." accurately describes a linguistic fact, and "The sun is a star" accurately describes an astronomical fact. Further, "Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States" and "Abraham Lincoln was assassinated" both accurately describe historical facts. Generally speaking, facts are independent of belief and of knowledge and opinion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact
 
JaniceM said:
It doesn't matter whether someone sees/experiences/holds dear or not, facts are still facts.
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The facts, realities of life can be different depending on who and where you were born. While in certain areas of America people understand what real hunger is most Americans are quite positive they would not eat certain things "no matter how hungry". But people who have hunted and fished knowing it is their next meal are likely less certain of what they would eat in a dire situation.
 
feywon said:
The facts, realities of life can be different depending on who and where you were born. While in certain areas of America people understand what real hunger is most Americans are quite positive they would not eat certain things "no matter how hungry". But people who have hunted and fished knowing it is their next meal are likely less certain of what they would eat in a dire situation.
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I am learning quite a bit here so bare with me. It is true that "different environments will produce different ways of getting nourishment." It is also true that "all life needs nourishment to survive." A true statement can not be questioned, like "Abe Lincoln was the 16th president." There is no variation to that statement. I have pondered "absolute truth" and "relative truth", and still thought there was no factual statements because of all the variables..biases..etc. @JaniceM knew what she was saying and it has made an impact on the way I am thinking about "misinformation" and "journalistic integrity". I also could only find 3 F's in Davids great example. Even after knowing the answer I could not see the F's in "of". :)
 
Sometimes I wonder if I'm in a different reality from some people when I hear their opinions and claims of what constitutes reality. Even in these forums, sometimes someone will post their conclusion or sometimes someone else's conclusion with which they agree, that's completely opposite from what an article that they cite has stated. I just sit here totally baffled.

For me, I don't accept something as fact unless I can see some proof of it being so. Accepting something on faith alone would be a scary way to live. You'd be at the mercy of whoever gets to decide what is true and those people who claim to have a monopoly on the truth tend to have an agenda.

That said, I do have faith in scientists and doctors and accept their consensus when it involves the vast majority in those fields. I don't have the background or time to doubt what their saying, just because some politicians or pundits don't agree with them. Those politicians and pundits have an agenda and they benefit — usually financially — by keeping people perpetually outraged.
 
feywon said:
The facts, realities of life can be different depending on who and where you were born. While in certain areas of America people understand what real hunger is most Americans are quite positive they would not eat certain things "no matter how hungry". But people who have hunted and fished knowing it is their next meal are likely less certain of what they would eat in a dire situation.
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I disagree.
Individuals' personal experiences or perceptions can vary, but facts cannot.
 
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