Experience and Reality

[Sunstone]

Reality beyond experience is conjecture.

 

[rojse]

If you want to shut all other senses off, touch remains to confirm reality. Even bacterium rely upon it as confirmation they are part of reality.

You've questioned bacteria about their ability to feel stimuli through touch?

 

[Tiapan]

Since most peoples perceptions are the distillation of a series of afferent nerve inputs to our personal super computer (the CNS) where they are reassembled into the perception of the 3D image we (think) we see. I would say there are many realities. A few millionths of a gram of LSD can certainly demonstrate what I am saying is true. But like quantum mechanics where a virtual myriad of probabilities concur simultaneously to produce an average that is representative of our interpretations. Thus allowing common recognition of objects and the environment, because our individual rendition is usually pretty close to that of other humans.

Experience is usually the identification of regular patterns of success that usually benefit survival that we imprint on our selves until a better pattern is recognized.Reality is what we consruct in an environment , experience is the storage of similar environments and their pattern recognition.

Cheers

 

[Ozzie]

You've questioned bacteria about their ability to feel stimuli through touch?

Well no of course not. Though I have observed bacteria recul from noxious stimuli. I meant that touch, once other senses are discounted, produces a reliable index of the reality of physical objects (ouch, just bumped my head into one).

 

[Kathryn]

Whether a person believes something exists or not, doesn't mean it doesn't. I know that's a simplistic answer but sometimes the simplest explanations make the most sense.

You may not believe I am a female. So what - I AM a female. Whether you believe that or not doesn't alter that fact at all. You may not believe I live in Texas. So what - I DO live in Texas. That is the reality. It doesn't matter what your perception is - that's where I live.

This whole catch phrase "Perception is reality" is hogwash as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The obvious first question would be: how would you go about defining reality?

Reality is what exists.

Is it what we feel, touch, taste?

These are some tools we employ to experience reality.

Is it a group consensus of what is there?

Not if it isn't actually there.

Or is it something other than this?

It's everything other than that. Well, at least everything that exists.

Having answered that, how do we know that what we experience is reality, that it is real? How do we know that reality even exists in some form or other?

The fact that we're experiencing something, shows that reality exists. Whether what a particular individual is experiencing is reality, depends on their ability and aptitude for sensing, filtering, and interpreting.

 

[challupa]

But it's our experiences, our common sense that contribute to whether or not we deem something as "true".

Also, another thing I have wondered is whether or not we have Free Will at all, considering most of our activities in life is just conforming to our basic neccessities (like eating, drinking, finding a partner) and for satisfying our instinctive/hormonal drives (like sex, finding a partner).

What if we're just "slaves" to Instincts, Hormones and Emotions?

Now that is a very valid question. It triggers something with me because of my life experience (go figure) LOL. In my 30's I had a condition called endometriosis and needed an emergency hysterectomy. However, there was a nurses strike and all operations that weren't dire were cancelled. That meant they needed to put me on hormones for several months to help curb the bleeding. This meant high levels of hormones. Once surgery was done I had none basically. Within 12 hours of the operation I could not read a line in a book, I was hypersensitive to sound and I couldn't sleep. I walked almost continuously and anyone who visited had to walk with me to visit with me LOL. I was scared to death that this was how I would be for the rest of my life. Then a nurse who noticed these bizarre behaviors asked if I have been put on hormone replacement. I hadn't, and when put on Premarin (estrogen replacement) everything went back to what I considered normal. Took awhile to get the strength right, but once that was done, things were pretty good again. So I know that hormones have a huge impact on our world and how we are in it. That experience has made me realize just how subjective our reality of the world really is. We know what we think is normal, but is abnormal any less real? Probably not, especially to the experiencer.

 

[sandandfoam]

I like this the idea that things are real if they can causally act on or interact with ordinary material things.

 

[Kathryn]

I like this the idea that things are real if they can causally act on or interact with ordinary material things.

I like that too.

 

[Quagmire]

There is no spoon.

Still; trying eating refried beans out of a can without one. It doesn't work.

 

[zenzero]

Friend Quagmire,

There is no spoon.

Still; trying eating refried beans out of a can without one. It doesn't work.

When you knew you did not have a spoon, why did you put the beans in the can?

or use chopsticks!
or pour the contents on a plate and lick them.

There are as many ways as people each is right and those who can't find a way are still not HUNGRY so they do not use their grey matters to find one!

Love & rgds

 

[Quagmire]

Friend Quagmire,



When you knew you did not have a spoon, why did you put the beans in the can?

or use chopsticks!
or pour the contents on a plate and lick them.

There are as many ways as people each is right and those who can't find a way are still not HUNGRY so they do not use their grey matters to find one!

Love & rgds

Some people open both ends of the can and push the beans up from the bottom. You almost have to be a pro to pull that off though.

 

[chilliwack]

I am really enjoying reading this thread. I had a pretty serious brain injury months ago, I have a feeling of unreality is with me all the time now. I really don't know how to explain it and I might not have the smarts to add much to the conversation but thanks for posting. You guys are a really intelligent group.

 

[rojse]

I am really enjoying reading this thread. I had a pretty serious brain injury months ago, I have a feeling of unreality is with me all the time now. I really don't know how to explain it and I might not have the smarts to add much to the conversation but thanks for posting. You guys are a really intelligent group.

We steal intelligent ideas from other people, which often appears the same as being intelligent.

 

[Morse]

We steal intelligent ideas from other people, which often appears the same as being intelligent.

Or some of us repeat the same intelligent things over again in different threads. If one were to look through my serious replies, they'd see that most of what I say has been recycled from a previous discussion. But I spose there isn't a problem with it, because you can't really expect somebody to look through other threads just because you don't like to repeat yourself.

I still feel guilty and stupid though.

 

[Kathryn]

I am really enjoying reading this thread. I had a pretty serious brain injury months ago, I have a feeling of unreality is with me all the time now. I really don't know how to explain it and I might not have the smarts to add much to the conversation but thanks for posting. You guys are a really intelligent group.

Wow, sorry about your brain injury. I think I may know exactly how you feel. I had serious carbon monoxide poisoning one time and I felt really "not in my own skin," and sort of "standing outside myself" for about 3 months afterwards. It was a very odd feeling and I pretty much hated it. Besides that, I was trying to recover from what was not only traumatic physically, but also emotionally. So overall, the depression, fatigue, illness, and actual brain damage put me in a pretty weird place that was definitely uncomfortable and unsettling.

I recovered with minimal damage longterm - I hope that you will also. My prayers are with you. I don't know the extent of your injury, but even my brush with brain damage was enough to let me know I don't want to ever experience anything like that again!

Good luck and welcome to RF!

 

[Morse]

Wow, sorry about your brain injury. I think I may know exactly how you feel. I had serious carbon monoxide poisoning one time and I felt really "not in my own skin," and sort of "standing outside myself" for about 3 months afterwards. It was a very odd feeling and I pretty much hated it. Besides that, I was trying to recover from what was not only traumatic physically, but also emotionally. So overall, the depression, fatigue, illness, and actual brain damage put me in a pretty weird place that was definitely uncomfortable and unsettling.

I recovered with minimal damage longterm - I hope that you will also. My prayers are with you. I don't know the extent of your injury, but even my brush with brain damage was enough to let me know I don't want to ever experience anything like that again!

Good luck and welcome to RF!

I've accidentally eaten brownies laced with narcotics. Twice.

Would that get me anywhere close to that feeling?

 

[Kathryn]

I've accidentally eaten brownies laced with narcotics. Twice.

Would that get me anywhere close to that feeling?

No, I've done both - brownies are a better trip.

 

[chilliwack]

Hehe, well thanks so much for the well wishes, and I didn't mean to hijack the discussion.

I actaully didn't realize how interested I was in reality until I took some counciling for the brain injury. I expected to talk about the accident and my emotions and all that and too my surprise I sent session after session talking about reality. "How do I see things?" "How does the mind work?" "How does something become a feeling from a thought? on and on and on. It was then that it clicked that I was having a real major problem with the experience of reality at first I thought it was a lack of intellegence, but not really.

It's still not close to normal even after 10 months, but the good news is I still feel fairly smart still. I think that I can take part in the disccussions here and contribute. It's more a matter of a functioning problem than an intelligence problem, but if in doubt I'll take that advice and steal ideas from others! Thanks for the tip.

 

[DallasApple]

Some people open both ends of the can and push the beans up from the bottom. You almost have to be a pro to pull that off though.

Thats exactly what I do.

It makes more sense.(better than getting a rubber maid and scraping it when you have a lid right there)

Nifty trick.

Love

Dallas