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Religion

GliderGuider

(21,088 posts)

19. Cultural agreements about the nature of reality

Reply to Boojatta (Original post)

Sat Feb 4, 2012, 03:01 PM

Feb 2012

Whether things that can't be directly perceived are viewed as "real" depends on whether they are culturally defined as such. Within Australian aboriginal culture for example, "song lines" or "dreamtracks" are accepted as real. To us, not so much.

The definition of reality as encompassing only that which can only be directly perceived (or indirectly perceived with objectively validated techniques) is a European post-Enlightenment positivist definition that is not shared by everyone. To many of us it seems axiomatic, but that may be just our brain's attempt to agree with our tribe-mates and thereby avoid ostracism.

It's a useful definition in a materialist culture, but far from the only one.

I view anything that arises within my mind as "real".

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31 replies

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Highlight:

Part of Reality Cannot be Perceived [View all] Boojatta Feb 2012 OP

Not clear what this has to do with religion. Deep13 Feb 2012 #1

A certain pattern of reasoning is repeatedly used Boojatta Feb 2012 #2

Glad I mentioned it... Deep13 Feb 2012 #14

A couple of things Boojatta Feb 2012 #20

The sentence following "one recent example." Deep13 Feb 2012 #27

Does this have a link or did you, as OP make this up? There are... MarkCharles Feb 2012 #3

"Ideas can be ..." Boojatta Feb 2012 #4

I am impressed. Boojatta Feb 2012 #22

We don't understand enough about human ideas to reach any conclusions about alien ideas. Jim__ Feb 2012 #5

And tama Feb 2012 #7

I'm not sure what point you are making. Jim__ Feb 2012 #10

Very simple tama Feb 2012 #11

It's not so much that neural networks manifest in our experience as ... Jim__ Feb 2012 #12

Funda-Mental tama Feb 2012 #17

Mental representation of what? Boojatta Feb 2012 #8

A mental representation of pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Jim__ Feb 2012 #9

Before I disagree with anything that you wrote, clarification might be helpful. Boojatta Feb 2012 #18

Can you envision a 4 dimensional sphere? Jim__ Feb 2012 #23

3D and anthropic principle tama Feb 2012 #28

The brain doesn't care pscot Feb 2012 #6

been here done this deacon_sephiroth Feb 2012 #13

Did I post in that thread by Rug? Boojatta Feb 2012 #15

Now the world of imagination is boundless..... yes it is. AlbertCat Feb 2012 #30

Throws Kant's "Critique Of Pure Reason" at OP Odin2005 Feb 2012 #16

Cultural agreements about the nature of reality GliderGuider Feb 2012 #19

The following should be taken at face value, not as a veiled insult. Boojatta Feb 2012 #21

Who decides for me what's a "true conception" and what's a "misconception"? GliderGuider Feb 2012 #24

I didn't point to something in particular and assert that it's a misconception. Boojatta Feb 2012 #25

Do I "surely" believe that such a thing as a misconception actually exists? GliderGuider Feb 2012 #26

Within Australian aboriginal culture for example, "song lines" or "dreamtracks" are accepted as real AlbertCat Feb 2012 #29

"Are they real?" is a culturally determined question. GliderGuider Feb 2012 #31