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Revision as of 05:16, 8 June 2002 by Fredbauder (talk | contribs) (alternate realities)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Reality is
- The ultimate nature of things considered as a philosophical question. The universe consists of the whole spacetime continuum in which we find ourselves, together with all the matter and energy within it. Science is said to be the study of the universe. See knowledge.
- The more or less naive world view of a person which is internalized from one's parents and peers. One's reality includes one's culture, social status and sense of what is right and wrong. Reality is socially constructed. Every individual does not sui generis internalize the external world but absorbs from others the social constructs which make up a culture. One's sense of what is "real" may at times differ from what acually is which is sure to make life interesting. In some mental states such as psychosis or delirium, the subject's perception of the world may be strikingly at odds with the social consensus.
All cultures admit of alternate realities some quite esoteric. Some commonplace examples are Israeli reality versus Palestinian reality; Democratic party reality versus Republican party reality; and male reality versus female reality. The reality of the small community of surrealist artists is an example of an estoteric reality.