Reality

[Romeo]

What is it? How do we know what is real and what is not?

[redhead23]

http://www.dogshome.org/rehome/our_dogs/angel. html

[Romeo]

So the answer to reality is to be found in Angel the boxer at Battersea dog's home, eh redhead? Must be some very profound message there.

[tubeway]

How can you ever know - you may wake up any minute from what you consider real life, and find that it is all a dream. OR somebody else will wake up and you cease to exist because you only exist as part of their dream.
Just make the most of your existance as you do not know whether it is real or not.

[mibn2cweus]

. . . or else Wake up!

Not really. It's your life, daydream all you like. Just ease up on the snoring.
Speaking of sleeping; here�s a snoozer for ya . . .

I use the term "reality" to refer to all that exists.
Matter and energy (two basic forms of the same thing) the space they occupy and the way they relate to and interact with each other are all facets of reality. There remains much yet to be discovered about all of the constituents and properties of reality. Nevertheless there are limitations imposed by the nature of reality that make it possible for it to be what it is.

Knowledge of what reality is not is as important as knowledge of what it is in gaining an understanding of what we can and cannot do with it and how to do it while remaining alive within it. One aspect essential to this understanding is that reality does not directly respond to nor is it concerned with or significantly altered by what we might hope, wish or desire it to be. Changing reality requires a physical cause and effect interaction with it and knowing how it should be changed requires as much an understanding of what kind of changes are possible as what ultimately in our best interest.

cont. . .

[mibn2cweus]

How we know what (and what not) reality is can only be properly answered by examining and understanding what knowledge is and how we know it. What is, (metaphysics), and how we know it, (epistemology), are the primary essentials on which a practical and reliable philosophy rests and this dependency makes these philosophy�s central issues. The importance of resolving these issues if found in the need to refute the claims of those who seek to enslave the minds of those unable to justify their beliefs, whether those beliefs are misguided or completely valid in spite of the inability to demonstrate its correspondence to reality.
I will not attempt to fully address these issues here since an adequate explanation that does justice to such an important question is for all intents and purposes beyond the scope of this thread. If you desire more information on this subject I suggest reading �Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand� by Leonard Peikoff. Nevertheless this is an important subject and I will be following this thread and possibly adding to it.

On a more personal level, if it has life or death consequences it is real. Your ability to discriminate between life and what makes it worth living and the absolute finality of death (a precondition for fully appreciating the value of life) is directly proportional to your appreciation for and understanding of reality.

Without life, reality is irrelevant.

Sweet dreams.

[rob2024]

Given that there is such a thing as hypnosis it is impossible to prove that anything in the entire universe exists and how do we know that we are not imagining this form of existence

[mibn2cweus]

No matter what you call it or how much you ignore it the consequences of reality are inevitably and unavoidably real. It's up to you to make it your friend!

[rob2024]

A tiger bit my head off last night but the consequences changed when my state of consciousness changed - I woke up !