The Truman Show Essay

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KQ: Can we always acknowledge the information provided by our senses?

Senses are any of the abilities in which stimuli external of the body are acknowledged and experienced, this includes the abilities of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. Our senses are an imperative foundation of information regarding the world around us, which rather passively reflect reality actively structured around it. Perception includes two main components, sensation and interpretation; one’s understanding of something stems from the information provided by their senses. As humans, we rely on our sense perception to differentiate between what is real and what isn’t, we accept the reality that has been offered to us. Our life is as real as we believe it to be, …show more content…

Perception is as real as we trust it to be. Perception is selective; perception can be altered by the environment around us, our emotions, interest and expectations in the topic, language, and intensity of the subject. Our perception is shaped by the ideals and biases we have. In the Truman Show, Truman’s perceived reality differs from those around him because of the manufactured environment he has grown up in. his interpretations of the world are technically wrong but his senses all tell him otherwise. In this example, senses are not a reliable source of information. In the movie, Christof quotes ‘We accept the reality with which we are presented. It is as simple as that.” This refers to the untrustworthiness of sense perception as it shows how our senses can be manufactured and manipulated in a way where what we believe to be true is no longer true. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the slaves in the cave accept their reality as the shadows on the wall. This relates to Christof’s quote as the only environment they are exposed to be the one that they trust and believe in, regardless of the truth that lies behind the walls of the cave. Plato viewed our world we live in in this way, a bland façade for the truth that can be discovered in a superior realm. This is a mirror representation which links back to Truman, as he believed everything he knew of his own life until he was proven wrong by

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