WEEK 5 - Thinking about Reality

Created on Feb. 3, 2007

Articles Read

Searle, J. R. (1998). Mind, language and society: Philosophy in a new key. Chapter 1: Basic Metaphysics: Reality and truth (pp. 1 - 37). New York: Basic Books.

Prisig, R. M. (1974). Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: An inquiry into values (pp. 29 - 36). New York: Corgi Books.

Bruner, J. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds. Chapter 7: Nelson Goodman's Worlds. (pp. 93 - 105). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Article Summaries

Searle, J. R. (1998). Mind, language and society: Philosophy in a new key. Chapter 1: Basic Metaphysics: Reality and truth (pp. 1 - 37). New York: Basic Books.

Searle believed in the existence of an objective universe which is independent of our minds or our representation of how they are (external realism), and argued against the antirealist’s challenge. The most common argument again realism, is “perspectivism”, the idea that our knowledge of reality is never “unmediated”. Then, there is probably there is no real world, or perhaps it is useless to even talk about it, or perhaps it is not even interesting. However, Searle argued know the real world from a point of view or state the facts using certain vocabulary does not follow the facts we describing or identifying have no independent existence. The facts exist independent of perspective or language. Searle also argued against the argument from conceptual relativity, the history of science, and the underdetermination of theory by evidence. Searle believe denial of realism has its deeper reason – a will to power, a desire for control, and a deep and abiding hatred of science in particular.

Prisig, R. M. (1974). Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: An inquiry into values (pp. 29 - 36). New York: Corgi Books.

The story is about how a father explained to his children some philosophical ideas he “stole” from Phaedrus. The father told his children that modern man has his ghosts and spirit. Laws of nature, laws of logic, laws of mathematics are all human inteventions, just like ghosts. They exist nowhere but in human’s head.

Bruner, J. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds. Chapter 7: Nelson Goodman's Worlds. (pp. 93 - 105). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

This piece explained Nelson Goodman’s “constructivist” philosophy. According to Goodman, “there is no unique ‘real world’ that preexists and is independent of human mental activity and human symbolic language…What we call the world is a product of some mind whose symbolic procedures construct the world. (p. 96)”

Goodman also refused to assign any privileged status or any “ultimate reality” to any particular world that mind may create. Therefore, world making involves the transformation of worlds and world versions already made (p.97), and there is an irreducible plurality of “worlds” (p.98). The difference among these worlds is in the use of “symbol systems”.

My Reaction:

Do you think there is an objective reality? Why or why not?

For me, I believe there is a real world. But it seems that there no way to prove the existence of it. – It is because the evidence that makes me believe the existence of real world is all from my sensation. However, nowadays, we can stimulate people’s sensors in a way that make people have the false feeling that they are actually experiencing it. Therefore, I cannot conclude I can feel/see it, so it does exist. I don’t think Searle (1998) offered any strong evidence to prove it either. He thought it was impossible to justify the existence of a real world, as “the very attempt of justification presupposes what it attempts to justify.”

I can see the points of antirealists as well. It seems to me that some of them abandon the realistic perspective not because they think there is not a real world, but they think that talking about real world is meaningless, as we can never understanding it fully, thoroughly, and objectively. To me, antirealism sounds both pessimistic and optimistic. It is pessimistic because it believes human can never have an objective and comprehensive understanding of the real world. –In this sense, human is powerless. It is optimistic because it suggests all kinds of interpretations are true or acceptable. –In this sense, human is very powerful.

Questions for Discussion (My Own Question)

Why is it important to think about whether there is a real world or not?

The real world and the world we create or in our mind, which is more important? How they are related?

How will we behave differently if we are a realist or an antirealist?