How do we really know, that that which we see,
touch and taste really exists?
What is reality?
The objects or how we perceive them?
Do we see the world as its is, or is the world what it is,
because we perceive it as such?
Let's imagine the following:
We are in a cave, deep underground.
There is no visible daylight.
In this cave, people are tied to chairs in such a way
that they can only look at the cave wall.
From birth onwards,
Black and white movies are shown here non-stop
The audience believes that the film is a true reflection of reality.
What sounds like an experiment from the 3rd Reich,
is actually a 2000-year-old mind game,
conceived by Socrates' star pupil:
Plato!
Now suppose,
that one of these bold youngsters actually escapes from the cave
and sees the three-dimensional colourful world for the first time.
How would he feel?
Probably akin to the brave Keanu Reeves in the "Matrix",
in the scene where he wakes up in real world for the first time.
And worst of all,
if our ancient Neo were to return to his friends
and tell them that the world as they know it
isn't real…
then he would be dismissed as a madman.
According to Plato, our reality is based on 'ideas'
Objects, and how we experience them, are only their images
However, for Plato the term 'idea' represented more.
It was about the essence of all things,
that which we saw previously as part of an ideal world
and that which we recalled from memory.
What he pioneered with this is a doctrine
called "idealism",
to which Leibnitz and Kant later belonged.
However, this does not mean diligently donating
to victims of natural disasters
or serving soup to the homeless at Christmas.
Just as the real meaning of "materialism",
isn't the "My house, My boat, My investment advisor" song sung by Madonna.
nor the meaning of Yuppie Lifestyle.
Materialism is the philosophical countermovement to idealism.
Idealism sees the origin of reality in the "idea",
whereas with materialism "matter" is decisive.
Thus, reality arises due to the effect of the environment
and not by the way in which we perceive it.
To the question "What is?" materialism answers:
Only matter.
The world exists how it is
and we must conform to its laws.
Sounds bleak in the long run, though, doesn't it?
So, are we just the ball in a cosmic pinball machine then?
So where does reality lie?
Within us or out there?
This game ends in a draw