I have noticed a lot of material on the Internet the last several years on the topic of mental reality, possibly inspired by the movie, The Matrix. It seems that many people are fascinated by the idea that human mental reality may be different from real reality. I think this is a mistake.
The idea originates from early modern philosophy. The basic reasoning holds that real reality is made known to our minds through our senses. Thus, what we “know” about reality is only what our senses present to us. A lot of science seems to confirm this view, but there is reason to be skeptical.
Specifically, if you assume that the purpose of the mind is to somehow capture or record real reality, then it might bother you to learn that mental reality is a very bad recording.
But you could assume, instead, that the purpose of the mind is to react to real reality and that the behaviors of the mind are the behaviors of reaction, not of representation. In that case it would be a mistake to confuse the mind’s reactive behavior with its direct and true experience of real reality.
Put another way, our senses may be, indeed, the conduits for real reality that we imagine them to be, not the filters the early modern philosophers imagined.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
A = A
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Hmmm, not many Rand fans here.
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I’m a fan, but the reference is obscure to me. I take A = A to mean that objective reality is what it is (objectivism).
My post argues than if A =/ A, then A = B is not the only option. A = A = C is another possibility.
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It’s from John Galt’s speech
http://amberandchaos.net/?page_id=73
A thing is what it is, reality exists and is knowable.
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RE: “A thing is what it is, reality exists and is knowable.”
Thanks. It has been hard to make that point for more than 100 years. I’m guessing that science will reverse the error of assuming relativism.
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In my opinion this is a reasonable post.
I have marveled at some posts that were left up, yet been OK with them staying up. The crap we went though on the demise of the Pilot’s posting area a couple years ago was brutal, I thought. There were a couple D-Wads that were more than reasonably rude and trashy toward me, and when the Pilot ended that site I was both glad and sorry. I’m a golfer, so I have a very thick skin. Heck, I get insulted and beat up every time I pull a club out of my bag and slam it into a ball. That’s about all the pain and discontent I can deal with these days.
But, If I can deal with that level of helplessness for over 50 years I can deal with just about anything here. And, as most of you should have noticed by now, I don’t post even a 10th of what I used to. I have simply lost my desire to fight with people who will never agree with me on most of my opinions. But, I still do come here often to see what’s happening with you folks – and, what I see is pretty much what I expect, having read what posters here have shared for years.
Are there people here I’d like to insult, call a name and knock the bejeebies out of? Oh, hell, yeah. But, sorry, I just don’t have the urge I use to for that kind of reaction. Actually, I do kind of miss the fighting desire at times. But, I have a birthday coming up and I think what I’ve witnessed with this country and what has been allowed has rendered me less aggressive. Frankly, I don’t trust people who write some of the things I’ve seen here and a few other places. The number of people I feel that way about at this site are very low, but maybe I have missed some things lately that have forced Mr. Tabor to write this post. I will continue to “LIKE” posts if I am in agreement with something I read here, but my “…go for the jugular…” responses are gone. And, most of you here who have known me for years via the Pilot’s sites, my long-time ‘Guest Columnist’ pieces and “Golf by the Cupful” and “Golf, Politics & Beyond” blogs pretty much know where I come from on most issues/opinions.
At any rate, here’s wishing everyone here a good, safe and healthy 2022. THE MR. and I have been careful and as of today we have managed to steer clear of the Covid-19 virus. We have been very careful about who comes into our home and we have no problem telling someone they cannot come in without a mask if we feel the need. We both have heart issues, and we don’t get into fights about how silly we may be concerning trying to stay safe. So far, so good. But, as everyone on TV says, “Everyone IS eventually going to get the Virus at some point.” That may be true, but I’m not going to invite it into my home, or be cavalier about moving around people in stores, etc., who I have no clue what they have going on in their bodies. It’s just my thought and I have no desire to argue the point with anyone here, Doctor or not.
So, there you have it, ya’ll. Thanks for letting me stop by and share.
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