The reality is not as obvious and simple as we
like to think.
Some of the things that we accept as true and take at face value are
notoriously wrong.
Scientists and philosophers have made every
effort to change our common perceptions of it. The 10 examples below will show
you what I mean.
1. Big Freeze.
Big Freeze is the theory of the final state that our universe is heading
toward. The universe has a limited supply of energy. According to this theory,
when that energy finally runs out, the universe will devolve into a frozen
state. The thermal energy produced by the motion of the particles will
gradually wear out, which means that eventually, this particle motion will slow
down and, presumably, one day, everything will stop.
2. Solipsism.
Solipsism is a philosophical theory, which asserts that nothing
exists but the individual’s consciousness. At first, it seems silly, but if
you think about it, it really is impossible to verify anything but your own
consciousness.
To check this out, take a moment to recall all the dreams that you
have experienced in your life. Is it not possible that everything around you
is nothing but an incredibly intricate dream? But, you may say, there are
people and things around us that we cannot doubt because we can hear, see,
smell, taste and feel them, right? Yes, and no. People who take LSD, for
example, say that they can touch the most convincing hallucinations, but
we do not claim that their visions are a “reality”. Your dreams can simulate
sensations as well. After all, what you perceive is just a product of the
information processing that takes place in different sections of your brain.
As a result, which parts of existence can we not doubt? Probably
none. Each of us can only be sure of their own thoughts.
3. Idealism
George Berkeley, the father of Idealism, argued that everything
exists as an idea in someone’s mind. Berkley discovered that some of his
peers considered his theory to be stupid. The story goes that one of his
opponents kicked a stone with his eyes closed and said, “I disprove it thus!”
The idea was that if the stone really only existed in his imagination, he
could not have kicked it with his eyes closed. The way Berkeley refuted this is
hard to understand, especially in these days. He argued that there was an
omnipotent and omnipresent God who was able to see everything simultaneously.
4. Plato and the Logos.
Everybody has heard of Plato. He is one of the world’s most
famous philosophers. Like all philosophers, he had a few things to say
about the nature of reality. He argued that beyond our perceived reality,
there lies a world of “perfect” forms. Everything that we see is just a
shade, an imitation of how things truly are. To learn more about these
ideas, read about the Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, which is a sort of the
‘Matrix‘ in its ancient version.
Plato argued that by studying philosophy, we have a chance of catching a
glimpse of how things truly are and discovering the perfect forms of everything
we perceive.
In addition to this stunning statement, Plato, being a monist, said that everything
is made of a single substance. This means (according to him) that
everything – from stars in the sky to the dust under your bed – consists of the
same basic material, but in a different form. With the discovery of atoms and
molecules, it has been proven true to an extent.
5. Presentism.
Time is something that we perceive as a reality. Of course, we
usually divide it into the past, present and future. Presentism argues
that the past and the future are imagined concepts while only the present is
real.
In other words, today’s breakfast and every word of this article will cease
to exist after you finish reading it, until you open it to read it again. The
future is just as imaginary because the time cannot exist before and after
it happened, as claimed by St. Augustine.
6. Eternalism.
Eternalism is the exact opposite of presentism. This is a
philosophical theory that says that time is multi-layered. All layers of the
time exist simultaneously, but the measurement is determined by the
observer. What they see depends on which point they are looking at.
Thus, dinosaurs, Queen Victoria and Justin Bieber all exist simultaneously
but can only be observed from a specific location. If one takes this view of
reality, then the future is hopeless and the deterministic free will is
illusory.
7. The Brain in a Jar
The “brain in a jar” thought experiment is a question discussed by thinkers
and scientists who, like most people, believe that one’s understanding of
reality depends solely on their subjective feelings.
So, what is the essence of this thought experiment? Imagine that you are
just a brain in a jar that is run by aliens or mad scientists. How would you
know? And can you truly deny the possibility that this is your reality?
This is a modern interpretation of Descartes’ evil demon problem.
This thought experiment leads to the same conclusion: we cannot confirm the
actual existence of anything except our consciousness. If this seems to
sound reminiscent of the movie “The Matrix“, it is only because this idea was
part of the very basis of the story. Unfortunately, in reality, we have no red
pills…
8. The Multiverse Theory
 |
art by Sam del Russi –
samdelrussi.artistwebsites.com
|
What’s the point? In a parallel reality, you may be living in the opposite
corner of the world or may have already died in a car crash. In another one,
you might have never even been born because your parents never met. The
probabilities are endless.
9. Fictional realism.
This is probably the most fascinating branch of the multiverse theory.
Superman is real. Yes, some of you would probably choose a different story, for
argument’s sake, Harry Potter might be real too. This branch of the theory
argues that given an infinite number of universes, everything must exist
somewhere. So, all of our favorite fiction and fantasy may be descriptive
of an alternate universe, one where all the right pieces came into place to
make it happen.
10. Phenomenalism.
Everyone is interested in what happens to things when we aren’t looking
at them. Scientists have carefully studied this problem and some of them
came to a simple conclusion – they disappear. Well, not quite like this.
Phenomenalist philosophers believe that objects only exist as a phenomenon
of consciousness. So, your laptop is only here while you are aware of it
and believe in its existence, but when you turn away from it, it ceases to
exist until you or someone else interacts with it. There is no existence
without perception. This is the root of phenomenalism.
Which of these mind-blowing theories about the nature of reality appeal to
you most of all? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This post was republished from learning-mind.com You can
find the original post here.