on perception and reality

08-2019: perception

Scotland. We are on holiday with our son and are staying in a B&B in Inverness. On our way to the center we pass a shop that makes our son laugh. The owner is probably convinced that the earth is flat

There may be one reality, but there are certainly differences in the personal experience of it. How you view reality depends entirely on your 'point of view'. In that sense, there are four areas within reality that you can find yourself in. These areas are based on principles / principles that you can use as a 'point of view':

1. Reality is based on a personal perception. "I SEE that the world is flat and the sun revolves around the earth".
Everything can be perceived in opposites: time-space; light-dark; left-right; bottom-top; green-red; etc. These observations can be considered, analysed, measured and recorded on a flat surface. There is a horizon with 'vanishing points' that forms a straight line, there are triangles, circles, squares, spheres that look like circles, ovals, etc. The observation is measurable in quantities that are clearly defined. A number is not an abstract quantity, but a ratio between two copies of the same object. Geometry is the geometry of the plane, three dimensions are considered from this geometry.

This principle has been the only correct perception of reality for centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire and millions of people have come to terms with it and can live with it. Society was organized on the basis of church rules, individuals had a role in society, there was 'authority' in a limited group of people who knew what was good for everyone. Names were not important except for those of a few. Now we call this 'the dark ages', but for those people there was light enough.
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2. Reality is based on an interpretation of the observations. "I UNDERSTAND that the world is a sphere that revolves around the Sun and is part of the Universe".
The view of reality from the first point of view is completely absorbed in this new point of view. However, nothing is what it appears to be. Behind every perception is a deeper meaning that connects objects. The connections between objects can be laid down in assumptions / axioms / theorems. There are cyclical processes that ensure rhythm, regularity, recognition and 'proving' of propositions. Statistical analysis of observations is the basis for evidence. The 'normal distribution' (Gauss curve) indicates what is 'natural' and what is a 'deviation'. Everything can be explained as either a 'natural phenomenon' or a 'deviation'.


This principle has become the only correct perception of reality since 'the Enlightenment/Renaissance'. The 'established authority' of kings was overthrown or undermined and replaced by a 'most votes rule' (democracy) enforcement of authority. 'Science' became the new belief that is the basis for the order of society. There are 'great people' whose names become widely known and recorded in history. Knowledge from before the Middle Ages is made available to anyone who is interested in it. Discoveries are made, other cultures are discovered, there is learning/experimentation.



3. Reality is based on a consensus on the interpretation of the observations. "I EXPERIENCE it NOW using a personal consciousness as an integral part of the collective consciousness".
The view of reality from the second point of view is completely absorbed in this new point of view. It's a pleasant, reassuring thought that science is making "progress." Assumptions / axioms / theorems have been promoted to 'truths'. 'Evidence' based on these truths is accepted as correct. All attempts to relativize / reconsider assumptions are seen as undermining the authority of science and as such 'denounced'. There is both a personal and a collective 'consciousness', 'subconscious mind'. There are known, unknown and unknowable objects/entities. Meaning of phenomena comes in layers that you can peel off like the skins of an onion. There are 'onions' that are based on 'fields of knowledge in science', 'experiences in art and religion', 'movements in society', etc. For all 'onions', however, the exchange of ideas and views is limited by the language used.

This principle has been under development since the second half of the 19th century. Globalization of activities leads to the need to understand each other well. A derivative of the English language is created as the dominant language of communication. Scientists and like-minded people meet in 'global communities' and exchange ideas / build on each other's spiritual heritage. Open source and Wikipedia become the basis for progress. Not the individual but the 'community' is central to the organization of society.




4. Reality is based on Love and Eternal Life. "I BELIEVE in the everlasting creative power of Love".
The view of reality from the third point of view is completely absorbed in this new point of view. There is no longer any question of the dominance of science and/or religion. This is the area of ​​Unification (Communio). The area we come from and return to. Not the hereafter, but the 'parallel  reality'. It was always there, is NOW and always will be.












The role and impact of language in these points of view is felt, but has not been sufficiently researched.

• Shall we continue with the rickety English that is now being used to arrive at a world language?
• Or will it be a Slavic or Chinese version? Should we perhaps go back to the oldest known languages: like Aymara or Sanskrit.?

Slowly but surely we are moving forward in a direction that we end up behind us. Writing becomes 'pressing buttons', reading becomes 'looking at pictures', words are replaced by emoticons, the new language is more like Chinese, Japanese, Korean than Western languages.

• Science is becoming more and more self-aware, will we end up somewhere where it is better?
• Or, after Babel, Cholula and perhaps other events in the past, are we being punished for the umpteenth time with a scientific confusion of tongues?