Cogito Ergo Sum.

[Willamena]

Reality is relative to our own senses, and as such, may be false.

False compared to what? What lies beyond reality?

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by Willamena

What lies beyond reality?

The laundry.

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Are you familiar with the psychology of the senses? If not, simply refer yourself to any good psychology text on the subject. You will almost immediately see the senses do not represent reality, Dark Sun. At best, they symbolize it -- much as a map symbolizes a terrain, or an instrument reduces some reality to a simple quantity.

Symbolization is not representation?

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by Willamena

Symbolization is not representation?

In the sense in which I'm using the word "representation" in this thread, a symbol is not representative. But the word "representation" has more than one meaning, and using it in a different sense from the one I'm employing, you could say that symbols represent reality. In that case, the question would become "precisely in what way do symbols represent reality".

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

In the sense in which I'm using the word "representation" in this thread, a symbol is not representative. But the word "representation" has more than one meaning, and using it in a different sense from the one I'm employing, you could say that symbols represent reality. In that case, the question would become "precisely in what way do symbols represent reality".

I don't understand. What distinguishes a "representation" from the symbolized reality?

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by Willamena

I don't understand. What distinguishes a "representation" from the symbolized reality?

All representations are symbols, but not all symbols are representations. A representation is in some sense a copy of what it refers to. A symbol is more than a copy. It can contain greater or less information about what it refers to than a representation. A representation to some extent resembles what it refers to. A symbol need not resemble what it refers to.

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by K.Venugopal

What our mind interprets is the reality for our mind. But our mind alters as it awakens to greater consciousness and reality too changes for us. They say beyond a certain stage, we can see it all as an illusion and reality would be on a different plane for us.

And that reality would then be the "illusion".

[ChristineES]

I suppose I agree with Rene Descartes, who said our life could be a deception.