What truth lies in perception?

Question

I believe I already have a vague idea of the answer to this puzzling matter, but I would like the public opinion. Many people I know have agreed with me when I say perception is reality. This concept is commonly know and, to my knowledge, generally accepted. My thought process compels me to apply this to existence. Even in those standards, I believe if you perceive something to be true, then it is.

However, after a brief discussion with some one, I began to ponder a new issue. Once again, it was agreed that if you perceive something, than it is true. However, if something is true, than do you perceive it? Even if perception is reality, is reality perception? Your thoughts?

Answer 1

i assume you have already accounted for the inevitable discrepancies to be found between any two separate perceptions that may be given ---if there is a discrepancy between what a speaker says (reality), and what the audience has heard (perception), then assuming both cannot be correct (a contradiction, or at least an inconsistency), there must have been some mistake--- do we each of us simply live in our own personal reality? (the speaker correctly hearing one thing, while the audience hears, also correctly, something else entirely). if so, the simple equivocation of "reality" and "perception" renders the former meaningless, and leads to a form of nihilism.



(if perception is reality, then as our perception changes, so does reality, and there is no underlying "reality" as such. either that, or, when a speaker says something, and an audience mishears what is said, then the speaker actually has said two different things upon clarifying himself. this is also problematic).



the only way to get at the heart of the matter is to start using the terms "objectivity" (reality) and "subjectivity" (perception). now when we say "perception is reality", what we mean is that what is apprehended is accepted as actuality. clearly if i hallucinate something, it doesn't actually happen. ---yet there is some sense in which, my hallucinations are quite real to me (the same way in which dreams are real while we are asleep [and the waking world becomes unreal], and then only once we awaken do the two worlds, dreaming and waking, again become unreal and real, respectively).--- this is the only way in which "perception" and "reality" can be one, as objectivity is merely the theoretical aim of all inter-subjectivity. by this then we mean 'real' as in, "substantial", "considerable", what has weight, what is immediately present, or persistent immediacy; what 'matters'.



every other sense in which "perception is reality", would suggest that subjectivity is objective. now, if the concern is the subject itself, then yes, objectivity and subjectivity overlap, but only concerning the subject. otherwise, it seems 'objective perception' is a contradictory notion.



concerning the final question: rather than going around in circles i will put forward something i have developed on my own which is semi-related: "what is self-evident, is self-existent; what is self-existent, is self-evident". all self-evident truths are clearly obvious (well perceived); all well perceived things are by nature, real (this plays off of the alternative notion of reality, as 'substantial', rather than the more traditional notion, of 'objective'---clearly, when we are lied to, the truth is not perceived).

Answer 2

All truth. Or else how would it be acknowledged, perceived, felt, believed, understood, accepted, worked out, investigated, whatever! Truth is a human value and a human concept, without humans to mull it over and think about it, it means nothing. It's just a concept.



"If you perceive something to be true, then it is." What nonsense. The whole point of the definition of the word 'truth' is that is defies subjectivity. Truth is just a word/ concept so playing with it like this means nothing. The whole point of its definition is that it transcends individual perception. Attaining truth is not meant to be easy. It's been puzzled over for centuries.



I'm contradicting myself. What do you make of that?!



Or another philosophy: The truth is like a diamond- it has many facets



Half semantics, half meaningless and impossible. Truth cannot be attained by people, that's half the point



I'm guessing you're a student. I'd really like to know: what do you study?

Answer 3

have you ever seen the matrix? you cannot ever be sure that what you are perceiving is the truth. it can be A truth, but not THE truth.



also, lets bring this whole debate about evolution into the problem. there are many people out there who perceive evolution as a fallacy, but just because they perceive it as so, doesn't mean that they are right. so, again, is perception reality?



is reality perception? there are so many truths out there in this universe that we don't yet know exists. in fact, those truths could be changing up until we discover them, like truths on dark matter. we know nothing and what we think we know we have not yet proved exists. it could just be because dark matter's truths change differently than our typical matter, therefore we are unable to perceive dark matter.



in fact, there is a whole philosophy on this. the book Blood Music handles the whole scenario quite well, tho it isn't written very well. it's still a great story tho, just a lot of grammar errors and what not. in it, some characters talk about how if we perceive too much, the universe looses the flux of truth that it is in, and truths become untruths, almost like a rubber band being too tightly wound up, and now it is snapping out of place, twisting back and forth from what we know as real to what isn't real. that is how they explain reality in the book. but if you are ever curious, you should check it out. for some reason, physicists are much better at explaining this theory than I am... prob cuz i spend too much time in philosophy and less in mathematics.

Answer 4

No. Perception isn't in "real time." Perception is an editing tool for reality used by the mind because it is incapable of understanding the infinite reality as is. "If the lens of perception where clear everything would appear as is, Infinite" - William Blake Truth is not subject to the limitations of the mind. It exist independently of perception or belief. The clouds don't cause the sun to not shine. Like gold waiting to be discovered, truth is reveal when what is obstructing it is removed.

Answer 5

Do not confuse "perception" with "perspective". Everything in perception is true, in the sense that it is "the given":

"Given, The: Whatever is immediately present to the mind before it has been elaborated by inference, interpretation or construction." http://www.ditext.com/runes/g.html



"When we speak of “direct perception” or “direct awareness,” we mean the perceptual level. Percepts, not sensations, are the given, the self-evident.....

"[Man’s] senses do not provide him with automatic knowledge in separate snatches independent of context, but only with the material of knowledge, which his mind must learn to integrate. . . . His senses cannot deceive him, . . . physical objects cannot act without causes, . . . his organs of perception are physical and have no volition, no power to invent or to distort . . . the evidence they give him is an absolute, but his mind must learn to understand it, his mind must discover the nature, the causes, the full context of his sensory material, his mind must identify the things that he perceives." http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/perception.html



You cannot perceive that which is not "true" because the truth of the perceiving is in the perception; it is what you metaphysically make of it later after analyzing it that contains analytical truths or falsehoods.



But if you perceived everything that was true, you would be God. There is too much to know that is both true and false, let alone just true.

Answer 6

What truth lies in perception?



~~~ All 'Truth'!



The new, critically updated, all inclusive definition of 'knowledge';



'Knowledge' is that which is perceived!

ALL INCLUSIVE!!!



That which is perceived by the unique individual Perspectives (all perspectives are unique, every moment/percept of existence) is 'knowledge'.

All you can 'know' is what you perceive, Now! and Now! and Now!!!

Everyone's perceptions are inherently (uniquely) real features of Reality!

All inclusive!



Existence = the complete Universe = Reality = Consciousness = Truth = 'Self!' = God = Brahman = Tao ...

All INCLUSIVE!!

Everything exists! All inclusive!

Everything is Real! All inclusive!

Existence/Reality is all inclusive!

That which is perceived exists. All inclusive!

That which exists is perceived. All inclusive!

Not a thing exists (notice that I didn't say that 'nothing' exists, 'cause it don't! *__- ) that is not perceived. All inclusive!

Not a thing is perceived that does not exist. All inclusive!

There is no, nor can there be, any evidence to the contrary!



We are (Conscious) Perspectives.



"Consciousness is the ground of all being!" - Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics



Every Perspective is unique, by definition/nature.



The First Law of Soul Dynamics;

"For every Perspective, there is an equal and opposite Perspective!" - Book of Fudd



The Universe/Reality is known by many unique Perspectives, but 'one' Consciousness!

Everyone's perceptions are included as inherently real features of Reality!



"The complete Universe (Reality/Truth/God/'Self!'/Tao/Brahman... or any feature herein...) can be defined/described as the synchronous sum-total of all Perspectives!" - Book of Fudd

ALL INCLUSIVE!!!

Answer 7

Real perceiver is hidden in it.

Answer 8

Your truth.