reality is...

Mr Biglesworth · 01-18-2005, 08:24 PM

How could reality be conceived of as anything but 'all that is'?
The next step is to determine what categories of things 'exist'.

Integral approach:

There are three categories of things which exist. These three categories are represented in every human language by the three main personal pronouns:

"I" exist - meaning everything internal to subjective consciousness and experience. So for instance, if you hold an incorrect opinion that is 'out of touch with reality', it still exists as PART of reality. It cannot be conceived to NOT exist, even if it does not correspond to the objective world.

"We' exist - everything shared between subjective individuals. We lived in a shared world, which has qualities as being intersubjective. When I place my hand on your hand, it is not reducible to two separate, isolated entities of sensation existing in each subjective world (though it does exist in each subjective world), but rather one singular entity which is shared between me and you. 'Shared' is roughly analogous to 'cultural'.

"It" exists - the objective world 'out there' which is commonly considered 'reality'. It's the solid universe which exists independently of somebody perceiving it. So if a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? Well no, since no one is there to perceive it, but it sure does create sound waves which impact upon the surrounding environment.

However, once we understand all the theings which reality is, we may conclude that reality is not, or is 'anatta', 'empty of form', as the buddhists say.

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01-18-2005, 08:24 PM	#9
Mr Biglesworth Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: I live in London Posts: 862	How could reality be conceived of as anything but 'all that is'? The next step is to determine what categories of things 'exist'. Integral approach: There are three categories of things which exist. These three categories are represented in every human language by the three main personal pronouns: "I" exist - meaning everything internal to subjective consciousness and experience. So for instance, if you hold an incorrect opinion that is 'out of touch with reality', it still exists as PART of reality. It cannot be conceived to NOT exist, even if it does not correspond to the objective world. "We' exist - everything shared between subjective individuals. We lived in a shared world, which has qualities as being intersubjective. When I place my hand on your hand, it is not reducible to two separate, isolated entities of sensation existing in each subjective world (though it does exist in each subjective world), but rather one singular entity which is shared between me and you. 'Shared' is roughly analogous to 'cultural'. "It" exists - the objective world 'out there' which is commonly considered 'reality'. It's the solid universe which exists independently of somebody perceiving it. So if a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? Well no, since no one is there to perceive it, but it sure does create sound waves which impact upon the surrounding environment. However, once we understand all the theings which reality is, we may conclude that reality is not, or is 'anatta', 'empty of form', as the buddhists say.