Reality Encyclopedia

Previously, I had examined briefly, distinct theories pertaining to the nature of reality. The two main schools examined pertained to whether we perceive reality directly as it is, or whether information is incorporated through the providing of sense data. These two schools of thought are known as direct and indirect realism, respectively. While distinct in how we perceive the world, both schools of thought agree that the external reality exists, and that it is independent of our cognitions and perceptions of it. However, some philosophers have argued that reality is in some way dependent on the mind. Indeed, some have even argued that reality is mental by nature, and generated purely through the internal cognition of ones mental faculties. This school of thought is known as "idealism" and it has been a great source of thought and controversy throughout the history of philosophy. Idealism is a monistic school of thought, meaning that it regards reality as being of one subst...

In our quest to discover the nature of reality, it is imperative to determine whether reality exists, in the sense that it is external and independent of our perceptions of it. While this is the common sense view, some would argue that this is not the case. These philosophers instead claim that reality is actually mind dependent, and is contingent upon our understanding of it. This school of thought is known as idealism, and shall be covered in a future post. Instead, this post will cover the school of thought known as realism, which argues that an external reality exists and is mind independent. However, two distinct schools of thought have produced a schism within this branch of philosophy, these being direct and indirect realism. While both argue that reality is mind-independent, they differ in how we perceive reality. The differences shall be outlined below.                   ...

                                       "Reality leaves much to the imagination."- John Lennon Reality encompasses the totality of all existence, be it known or unknown. It describes the ever-existing presence of what is within the sum of an all encompassing system. Despite this definition, problems continue to arise in understanding reality. For instance, what is realities nature? Is reality necessary by its own virtue, or does the realm of possibility still exist within reality? Do abstract ideas exist, or are they non-existent byproducts of the mind? Finally, do alternate realities exist? Many of these questions will be tackled in upcoming future posts. For now however, this post shall give a brief overview of distinguishing different schools of thought pertaining to the nature of reality. Upon...

What is reality? Why is reality here? IS reality here? Why are we here? What is our purpose? How do we live life properly? How have we come to understand reality? What are we? How is our mind structured? How do we orient ourselves, and connect ourselves, with reality? These are only a few of the questions that human beings have pondered over the millennia of our existence. Several distinct schools of thought have risen in an attempt to answer these questions. From the primitive religions of ancient humans, to the currently established scientific discipline, reality has been a trifling matter that has yet to be fully understood. The purpose of this blog is to attempt to answer these questions. This blog seeks to understand the fundamental nature of existence, and the human beings place in that existence, along with the human beings connection with reality. This blog will incorporate from many different fields, predominantly philosophy and psychology. However, many other academic...