Can Reality Be Defined?

Attempting to define reality

In attempting to define reality, it becomes immediately apparent that one is looking for a needle in a haystack, in terms of an actual definition. Reality is a concept and has to be understood, as a concept.

This article will look at the concept of reality and its definition, by comparing it to non-reality and its how it is defined. This entails looking seriously at the word real and its opposite, the non-real.

We know that we deal with reality and non-reality on a daily basis. That does not appear to present a problem for us, at all. Neither does looking at the concept of real or non-real.

If one was to take the word real and to place it on one end of a line and to put the word non-real, on the other end of that same line, it could be construed as constituting a continuum. One might suggest that a continuum of the real versus the non-real or reality versus non-reality, could be perceived on a scale of one to ten, one to a hundred, one to a thousand and so on.

real....................non-real
reality..............non-reality
1.............................10
1............................100
1...........................1000

Then, if one was take a concrete object like a book and attempt to decide which end of the continuum, it would be most appropriately placed on the question of the reality of that book could be ascertained. It would perceived as real or as a reality, unless of course, the book was an imaginary one. In that case, it would be on the end of the continuum that defines the non-real or non-reality.

1.............................10
real....................non-real
reality..............non-reality
book..............imaginary book

If one was to take a concept like love and place it on the same kind of a continuum, the resolution of the real versus the non-real question or the reality versus non-reality question, would become more difficult to resolve.

Is love on the end of the continuum that designates reality, or is it more appropriately placed on the other end, which defines non-reality? Is love real or not real?

Could it be on both ends of the continuum?

Yes, it could be, if the love was a figment of one's imagination, that would make it non-real love, even though it would still be considered by some to be definable as the concept of love.

1.............................10
real....................non-real
reality..............non-reality
love..............imaginary love

One can take any real thought, feeling, idea or concept, from the heart or mind and seek to determine its reality or non-reality, by employing the use of a continuum.

What one finds is that there is a fine line that divides the real and non-real or reality and non-reality.

What one also discovers, is the reality that the closer one gets to the center of that continuum, the more indistinct any definite answer appears to be. In other words, something that is placed at about a 4, 5 or 6 on the continuum, would be just sitting on the fence, so to speak. It could appear to be real or not real or as reality or non-reality, depending upon how one perceives or interprets it.

An example of this might be a feeling like fear. Is fear real or not real? Is fear a reality or is it a non-reality?

The bottom line becomes the reality that it is merely subjective in terms of actual interpretation.

Complicating this even further, is the truth that what one person perceives as a reality or as a non-reality, may be perceived in a different way, or in a different light by another person, based upon that other person's perception.

In other words, what I might perceive to be a reality may appear to be a non-reality to someone else. What is real to me might not be real to someone else. Something that I might consider to be a real fear might be considered as a non-fear to someone else.

Does that matter?

As people, we function well in both the real and non-real, as well as with respect to reality and non-reality, in our day-to-day lives. We live in a world where there is a multiplicity of interpretations of the real and the non-real or reality versus non-reality.

In other words, what we see as a reality and someone else might construe as a non-reality, does not determine our lives or how we live them, even though we may be influenced by their perception to some extent.

We are advised to get real and stay real, whatever that means. If that suggests we can only deal in terms of concrete objects, then we would be in trouble. We also need the world of thoughts, feelings, ideas and concepts in order to comprehend our own reality.

The final question becomes one of whether or not our own reality is real or non-real. We can try to ascertain the answer to that question by using a continuum. If nothing else it might be fun, or it be perceived as an exercise in total futility. Even an exercise in futility might serve a purpose, namely that of expanding our knowledge and the understanding of our world of reality and non-reality.

Can reality be defined? That question remains to be answered.