These past couple days in class, we had some in-depth discussions of experiences and hallucinations dealing with the existence of the external world. I even asked a question today, which was, “how do we as humans even know whether or not we are living in an everyday hallucination or something like the Brain-in-a-Vat Hypothesis” which is a similar idea from that of The Matrix. The answer to that question is much more complex than I can answer in four pages but the goal of this essay is to determine a philosophical direction or idea, which backs the question of “do we live in an external world or are we living a life of illusion?” By using ideas presented in Martin’s Epistemology, such as: testability and the best explanation, the idea that we …show more content…
Martin states that there are ways to test whether or not one is hallucinating, such as “If you think you're just hallucinating a strawberry, you can try to touch it, smell it, taste it.” (Martin 137). This brings the idea to the table that if we were hallucinating an object, we would be able to touch, smell, taste, hear, etc. Our senses would be effective in testing this case because after that statement, Martin writes, “If you're successful at all this, then that shows there really is a strawberry there.” The idea of hallucinating is a figment of the imagination, but when we talked about it in class, Professor Bailey talked about a hallucination as an experience which the senses did not work properly, or that the mind makes the person think they see an object, or that they feel an object, even if there is nothing existing there. I agree with the idea that hallucinations are purely circumstantial and dependent on the individual experiencing the illusion, but in a hallucinogenic state, I believe that though the mind may think that it sees something, the ability of the other senses such as feeling and smell would prove whether or not an object is actually there or not. So, it can be said that by testing the state of mind, by utilizing all of one’s senses, proves whether or not an individual is experiencing a
In “Bad Dreams, Evil Demons, and the Experience Machine: Philosophy and the Matrix”, Christopher Grau explains Rene Descartes argument in Meditation. What one may interpret as reality may not be more than a figment of one’s imagination. One argument that Grau points out in Descartes essay is how one knows that what one think is an everyday experience awake is not all a part of a hallucination. He uses the example of dreams to draw a conclusion about is claim based on experiences one would experience with dreaming. He asserts that there are times when one wake up from a dream that seems to be “vivid and realistic” however soon finds that it was not. The experience of reality in the dream was all a part of the mind. If dreams seem to be reality and one would not have any concept that one is dreaming how does one know that one is not dreaming now? Descartes point is that one cannot justify reality in the sense that one could be dreaming right at this moment and not know therefore one cannot trust the brain as an indicator of what is reality.
In chapter ten of the book “Problems from Philosophy”, by James Rachels, the author, the author discusses the possibilities of human beings living in an actually reality, or if we are just living in an illusion. Rachels guides us through concepts that try to determine wiether we are living in a world were our perception of reality is being challenged, or questioned. Rachels guides us through the topic of “Our Knowledge of the World around Us”, through the Vats and Demons, idealism, Descartes Theological Response, and direct vs. indirect realism.
This essay will examine the philosophical questions raised in the movie The Matrix. It will step through how the questions from the movie directly relate to both skepticism and the mind-body problem, and further how similarly those problems look to concepts raised by both Descartes’ and Plato’s philosophies. It will attempt to show that many of the questions raised in the movie are metaphor for concepts from each philosopher’s works, and why those concepts are important in relation to how they are presented in the film. In this analysis, we will examine the questions of skepticism and the mind-body problem separately. Part one will examine how the film broached the subject of skepticism, and in doing so how it ties in to Descartes and Plato. Part two will analyze the mind-body problems as raised by the movie and how those problems hold true or not to Descartes’ and Plato’s ideas.
Skepticism is the view that there is no way to prove that objects exist outside of us. Skeptics hold that we can not distinguish between dreams and reality, and therefore what we take to be true can very well be creations of our minds while we are nothing more than a simple piece of matter, such as a brain sitting in a vat that is connected to a machine that simulates a perfect representation of reality for the “brain” to live in.1 In the excerpt “Proof of an External World” from his essay of the same name, G.E. Moore responds to the skeptic’s argument by attempting to prove the existence of external objects. There are four parts to this paper. Firstly, I will explain Moore’s overall argumentative strategy and how he considers his proof to be rigorous and legitimate. Then, I will present Moore’s proof of the existence of an external world. Thirdly, I will discuss the responses that skeptics may have to Moore’s argument and how Moore defends his proof against the these responses. Finally, I will give my opinion on how efficiently Moore defends his claims against the skeptics’ responses.
Over the past weeks we have learned a lot of new things. I learned about different races, ethnicities, and cultures. The world would not be the same if everyone was the same race and it is a great thing to learn about everyone and where they are from, and where they have come from. Everyone is different in their own way and it is our duty to accept everyone as a whole. I am going to talk about the social construct of race today, some of our readings, and a lot of our discussions that are always fun.
In his “Proof of an External World”, Moore puts forth several supported hypotheses in regards to the nature of the existence of things outside the self. Primarily, Moore discusses hands; his argument is that if he can produce two hands then it follows logically that two hands must exist. Furthermore, Moore puts forth the theory that if hands exist then this alone is proof of an external world. In opposition to Moore’s opinions will be found three main arguments: firstly that all of Moore’s evidence is based upon sensory input, secondly that the truth of one fact based on the truth of another fact forms an Epistemic Circle in this case, and finally that the evidence out forth by Moore, even if proved, does not necessarily prove the fact that he is attempting to prove.
The world is not what it appears to humans, but there are things that may be recorded, repeated, and experienced by others. Though each person is different, it is believed that we all experience the world in the same way more or less. Touch, taste, sight, smell and sound are the ways we interpret our environment. However, from time to time people have experiences that occur beyond those five senses and defy explanation as anything other than an otherworldly. Those experiences became a large part of religion, yet the manner in which most occur begs the question – why?
A hallucination is defined as a sensory perception in the absence of an externally generated stimulus (4). They are different from illusions in that in an illusion an external object actually exists and is perceived, but is misinterpreted by the individual (4). Main forms of hallucinations are be visual, auditory, and olfactory, but since we have been discussing vision and interpretation of reality lately this paper will focus only on those that are visual. And I will attempt through the examination of two different types of visual hallucinations - release hallucinations and those experienced by schizophrenics - to make an argument for brain equals behavior.
In Harper Lee’s phenomenal novel To Kill a Mockingbird and Olive Anne Burn’s Cold Sassy Tree, a character’s perception must change to better suit the reality in which they live. In each novel, the character begins the book by accepting society’s biased views of life and how it should be lived. As the works progress, the characters experience something that requires a change in view point and this experience often comes at the novel’s climatic moment. As the reader continues to digest the literature, they find that towards the end, the characters have developed a less prejudiced view of life. Their perception has changed to match their reality. We see this in Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird and in Will Tweedy, the young man from Cold Sassy Tree.
Fromm, Erich. "The Individual in the Chains of Illusion." World of Ideas 8e I-claim. Boston: Bedford/st Martins, 2009. 325-35. Print.
A very minute does can significantly alter ones perception to the point of hallucination. Hallucination is when a person hears, or sees thing that don’t really exist. LSD is the most potent hallucinate. Approximately 100 times stronger than psilocybin, and 4000 times stronger than mescaline.
Stimulating deep philosophical thought, The Matrix depicts a world in which all human brains are programmed to believe a fabricated reality. Some humans, like the protagonist of the film, Neo, were recused from this mirage and shown the truth about their perceived reality. Some found great discomfort and refused to live with the truth and they returned to live in the illusion. Others however, chose truth over comfort and happiness. After watching this film I soon began to question many aspects of my own life. Is it possible that the world I deem real is a fabricated dream? What if everything around me was designed and that my actuality is simply a perception? These looped questions consume my though and lead me to realize that my reality to
Hallucinogens or psychedelics are mind-altering drugs, which affect the mind’s perceptions, causing bizarre, unpredictable behavior, and severe, sensory disturbances that may place users at risk of serious injuries or death. Hallucinogens powerfully affect the brain, distorting the way our five senses work and changes our impressions of time and space. People who use these drugs a lot may have a hard time concentrating, communicating, or telling the difference between reality and illusion. Hallucinogens cause people to experience - you guessed it - hallucinations, imagined experiences that seem real. The word "hallucinate" comes from Latin words meaning, "to wander in the mind."
"BR: In every sense we create our own reality, and this goes much further than most people aware of or are willing to admit. The reason most people can't see this is because everyone is creating their own reality, but 99.9% of them are creating the same one-using
The knowledge that individuals make reference in the sphere of everyday life is dominated by a kind of thinking ( natural attitude ) capable of suspending the doubt that this reality is something different from what you see .