reality

Some of us live on the internet, unsure if our time is spent in a place of fiction, unsure if it is real. We judge ourselves, sometimes based on our reality, sometimes on our perception of another's. We start to doubt things, we doubt fact, we ponder fiction. We become confused, looking for the truth... The truth is real, the truth lies in reality.

If we do not know the truth, are we not in reality? What is the line between fact and fiction? Philosophy, Science, Religion. All will tell you the truth. But they will all tell you different truths. They all claim fact; and yet none have answers to our greatest questions. (42) Some will tell you those questions are irrelevant, some say you already know the answer. This leaves you to decide what is real... What is your reality.

Reality therefore, is a decision, and different for every cognizant being. There is a driving force, that keeps order in the multitude of realities. To some, vampires are real, to most, they are fiction. There is no proof they exist, only those that have seen them. But this is not real to most, and those that it is, are labeled crazy. There is a reason behind this. And that, is Science. Logic and Science define humankind's reality. They are the best adapted way of thought. Realities spread, like organisms, given time, the best will survive.

The reality is that Reality is not a thing but an activity.

Reality is simply what makes up the world you live in. Be that the online world of the internet or the general chaos of everyday life.

People frequently try to define reality as being something you can physically interact with. I disagree, and the longer I spend online the more I disagree. Something imaginary wont cause the level of emotion you see frequently online. Things can only become as real as you allow them to become however.

For me, alot of the friendships I made on the net are as real as any i've made outside of the net. Frequently they carry over into `mundane life' meetings and friendships. Hell, I met my previous significant other in a chat room on a bbs. I suppose 10 years of using the internet and the multiple years before that using bbss have influenced my views somewhat (300 baud modem anyone?). I highly suspect that as we pass into the future and virtual reality advances the fine line between reality and online for many people will disappear.

Is this a good thing?

Time will tell.

Reality is the buffer zone between what you perceive and what I perceive. The place where, most of the time, we agree on what's happening there. I think some things that make this buffer zone break down are language and stress.
There can be no universal truths because we can never really fully comprehend each other's views long enough to decide if what's sitting on both sides of that buffer are actually the same.

If solipsism is to be believed, reality is simply the collection of your sensory perceptions. If this is true, then if you were in The Matrix, the "real world" wouldn't matter. Reality is just that set of perceptions for any given moment, it doesn't discriminate towards altered perceptions. You've simply altered your reality.

On a slightly less solipstic note, there can be an infinite amount of realities, because we each have a different experience. Even if we could be fed the same experience through altering our sesnsory perceptions, we would still bad at different points in space (although that maybe changed in the future by quantum state, but even then, we may label them 1 & 2, that small difference making them slightly different).

This is a tongue-in-cheek piece that i wrote, um, 8 and a half years ago. I found it randomly blu-tacked to the inside of my cupboard and i cried with laughter when i read it. It is rather crude and seems to follow no real course athough i think i did a rather good job of addressing a question that has stumped philosophers for thousands of years (and, imho, will continue to do so for thousands more). I also touch on the anthropic principle (that the universe is the way it is because if it were not then we would not exist and/or be able to enquire into the nature of the universe). As far as editing goes, i have tidied up some of the grammar/punctuation but the majority of the document remains intact (it is assumed that there are only 4 spacetime dimensions). If nothing profound is gained, i hope you have a giggle reading it......

Reality Is.

Life, as it is commonly known, is simply a term to define anything we really don't know about (e.g. "That's life"). Death, therefore, is a term defining everything we already know about.

Reality is also a term defining the boundaries of dimension. As dimension and the perception of the dimensions (inc. time) are unique to the individual's thoughts and the state of them, reality is relative to the individual's thoughts, consciousness and perception.

Infinity and probability are basically a load of crap and were invented, also, as terms. But these just confuse everyone (except some 'experts' who just think they are not confused and actually believe in them).

Thought, as it is 'there' yet cannot be seen, touched or smelled could be defined as a dimension (i.e. it interacts with the first three, space, and also obviously the fourth, time). This leads to the conclusion that reality is relative to reality. Which, in turn, suggests absolutely nothing about everything (where nothing and everything have defined parameters in the relative reality).

As relativity is a part of reality (i.e. encompassed within), this leads us to know less about nothing. Knowledge is a part of thoughts, consciousness and perception. This leads me to the conclusion that what we know and think (and what we don't know or think) are irrelevant and reality can only be defined once it has a model to define to (which can only ever be itself).

So, my point is we know nothing of the nature of reality. We don't know what it is. But, what we know is irrelevant. Therefore, simply, and with no 'proof' we can say: Reality is.

Re*al"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Realities (#). [Cf. F. r'ealit'e, LL. realitas. See 3d Real. and cf. 2d Realty.]

1.

The state or quality of being real; actual being or existence of anything, in distinction from mere appearance; fact.

A man fancies that he understands a critic, when in reality he does not comprehend his meaning.
Addison.

2.

That which is real; an actual existence; that which is not imagination, fiction, or pretense; that which has objective existence, and is not merely an idea.

And to realities yield all her shows.
Milton.

My neck may be an idea to you, but it is reality to me.
Beattie.

3. [See 1st Realty, 2.]

Loyalty; devotion.

[Obs.]

To express our reality to the emperor.
Fuller.

4. Law

See 2d Realty, 2.

 

© Webster 1913.