A collection--actually, more a clutter, of rambles about all sorts of subjects.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

 
What is reality?

I ask this not from a philosophical standpoint but more as cry against what constitutes reality according to modern society. I see your brows furrow...what is he talking about?

Let me explain.

Whist back in the U.K. a couple of months ago I had occasion to spend time with a friend who, like myself, encounters an ignorance in the general population that defies belief. I always smile when I hear a politician say, "...don't underestimate the intelligence of the average American/British man and woman, they won't be fooled". Who are they kidding? The vast majority speak in cliches and are swayed by factors that defy logic, hence my rationale that they don't understand fundemental logic, rational thought or the means to decipher complex argumentation.

To return to my friend. "I can't understand why they don't see what I see," he said to me, "They look at me as though I'm speaking double-Dutch when I point out some seemingly-obvious point." I nodded. I knew exactly what he meant. What is somewhat worrying is that it covers such a varied subject matter. Now, before you go off and say, "well, you are probably referring to some political or religious point of view which is really just a matter of opinion", let me state that is not what I am talking about. I'm talking about stating facts, just facts, and from those facts making logical extensions to other points. If there are cases for rebuttal, then examining them until they are satisfied, and so on. Classical argumentation.

Why do I bother? Why expend the energy? Because we must not stand by and let pseudo-science, pseudo-theology, societical mumbo-jumbo become accepted. The TV-Reality model must not be allowed to become real. That is NOT reality.