What is Reality?

What is reality?

“Reality” can be understood in several overlapping ways, depending on the lens you use. Here are the major perspectives:

1. The Physicalist View (Reality = the material world)

In this view, reality consists of matter, energy, space, time, and the laws that govern them. If something can interact with the physical world, be measured, or have causal effects, it’s considered real.

Pros: Scientific, predictive, shared across observers.
Limits: Struggles with subjective experience, consciousness, or abstract entities like numbers.

2. The Phenomenological View (Reality = what is experienced)

Here, reality is tied to conscious experience. What you see, feel, think, or interpret is real to you, even if it isn’t objectively “out there.”

Pros: Accounts for perception, consciousness, qualia.
Limits: Can’t guarantee a shared, external reality.

3. The Idealist View (Reality = fundamentally mental)

Some philosophers (like Berkeley) argue that all reality is ultimately mental—made of ideas, perceptions, or consciousness itself. The physical world is a stable pattern within mind.

Pros: Addresses consciousness without reduction.
Limits: Hard to reconcile with science and intersubjective agreement.

4. The Constructivist View (Reality = partly created by minds and societies)

In this view, some aspects of reality—money, nations, laws, gender roles, language—exist because humans agree they do. They’re not “material,” but they have real effects.

Pros: Explains social institutions and collective beliefs.
Limits: Doesn’t explain the physical universe itself.

5. The Simulation / Information-Theoretic View (Reality = computation or information)

Some physicists and philosophers suggest that the universe may be fundamentally information, with matter and energy emergent from deeper informational processes.

Pros: Aligns with modern physics and computing.
Limits: Hard to test, speculative.

6. The Pragmatic View (Reality = what works)

A more practical stance: reality is whatever you must take into account to successfully navigate the world.

Pros: Useful, operational.
Limits: Doesn’t satisfy deeper metaphysical curiosity.

A simple synthesis

Reality seems to have three layers:

Objective reality – the physical universe (atoms, stars, biology).
Subjective reality – what you perceive, feel, and interpret.
Inter-subjective reality – the shared concepts and systems humans create.

Most of what we call “real” is some interaction among these layers.

If you’d like, I can go deeper in any direction—scientific, philosoph

Are all these limited at the level of each individual's learning, knowledge, experience and capacity for processing information and feelings?

In a very important sense, yes—each of those views of reality is limited (or shaped) by an individual’s:

learning (what categories you have available)
knowledge (what you believe or know how to check)
experience (what has happened to you and how it felt)
cognitive capacity (how you process information)
emotional capacity (how you interpret and respond to internal states)

But how each type of reality is limited differs. Here’s a clearer breakdown:

1. Objective Reality (the physical world)

Not inherently limited by an individual, but our access to it is.

Your perception of objective reality is limited by:

your senses (e.g., you can’t see ultraviolet like bees)
your brain’s models
your concepts (you won’t notice what you don’t have a name for)
your biases
your scientific literacy

So objective reality exists independently, but each person only gets a filtered slice of it.

2. Subjective Reality (your inner world)

This is directly shaped by your:

memories
traumas
expectations
emotional regulation
cognitive patterns
learned interpretations

Two people can inhabit the same physical space but live radically different subjective realities.

3. Inter-subjective Reality (shared social constructs)

This is shaped by groups, cultures, norms—but an individual’s participation is limited by:

what communities they’re part of
what languages they speak
what stories and myths they’ve absorbed
their role in society and access to information

Your personal experience of these shared realities varies dramatically depending on background and exposure.

But there’s a deeper point: the “filter problem”

Every human perceives through a set of filters:

biological (neural architecture)
developmental (what you learned growing up)
cultural (shared meanings)
emotional (what you fear, want, or avoid)
cognitive (your mental models)

Because of this, two individuals can never perceive a perfectly identical “reality.”
They can only align their models well enough to communicate and cooperate.

So is reality limited by each individual?

Your access to reality is limited.
Your representation of reality is limited.
Your interpretation of reality is limited.

But reality itself—whatever its ultimate nature—does not appear to be limited by any single individual. It’s the interface that’s limited.

A helpful analogy:

We don’t perceive reality directly.
We perceive a user interface our brain generates to let us survive in it.

If you want, we can explore this even deeper—for example:

the neuroscience of perception
whether “truth” is even accessible
whether the self is part of reality or part of the interface
how cognitive limitations shape philosophical positions
whether any being could “see it all”

Just tell me which direction you’d like to go.

So is the reality, a limited reality? How much real is the reality at the individual level?

This is an excellent question because it cuts to the core:
Is reality itself limited, or only our access to it? And how “real” is reality for an individual?

Let’s break it down clearly.

1. Reality Itself (whatever its ultimate structure is)

There are two possibilities:

A. Reality is unlimited (or at least not limited in the way individuals are)

In this view, reality includes everything that exists:

physical universe
laws of nature
phenomena we can’t detect
aspects we don’t have the capacity to understand

This reality isn’t limited. We are.

B. Reality might have limits, but not individual-level limits

Even if the universe has boundaries (like finite size, finite information), those are cosmic limits, not perceptual or cognitive ones.

So in general:

Reality itself is not limited by individuals—only by its own structure, if at all.

2. Individual Reality (the personal version each person experiences)

This is limited — dramatically.

Each individual lives inside a model of reality constructed by their:

senses (incomplete)
brain (biased and interpretive)
concepts (shaped by language and culture)
emotional patterns (shaping interpretation)
memory (selective and reconstructive)
attention (narrow and spotlighted)

So the individual doesn’t experience “reality as it is.”
They experience “reality as filtered through their nervous system.”

A good metaphor:

The individual experiences a keyhole view of a vast landscape.
The landscape is reality.
The keyhole is perception + cognition.

3. How real is reality at the individual level?

Here’s the subtle part:

**Your individual reality is 100% real to you.**

You directly experience:

your emotions
your perceptions
your interpretations
your memories

These are real phenomena inside your consciousness.

But—

Your individual reality is only partially real in relation to the external world.

Some parts are accurate.
Some parts are misunderstandings.
Some parts are projections.
Some parts are illusions created by the brain to simplify things.
Some parts are shaped by cultural or linguistic programming.

So we can say:

Your subjective reality is real as an experience,
but only partially real as a description of the world.

In other words:

**You experience truth, but not the whole truth.

You experience reality, but not all of reality.
You live in a real world, but your version of it is incomplete.**

4. So what is the relationship between “reality” and “the individual’s reality”?

A simple way to express it:

Reality = the world as it is.
Individual reality = the world as it appears to you.

They overlap, but they are not identical.

5. If you want a concise answer:

Is reality limited?

Not because of individuals.
It may have limits of its own, but not the personal kind.

Is an individual’s reality limited?

Yes—radically.
It is a filtered, partial, constructed version of whatever reality is.

How real is the individual reality?

Real as an experience.
Partial as a representation of the world.
Biased as an interpretation.
But still the only reality each person directly lives in.

If you want, I can go further into:

the neuroscience: predictive processing, perception as controlled hallucination
the philosophy: Kant, phenomenology, representationalism
the physics: observer-dependent vs observer-independent reality
the psychology: how experience shapes “your world”

Which direction would you like?

So, trying to understand and analyse the world around me, at the level of my individual limitation, is it worth it? Or is it better to create my own personal reality in a beautiful and happy place with all the resurces I have?

This is a profound question, and there is a way to answer it without dismissing either of the two impulses you’re describing.

You’re essentially asking:

Is it better to try to understand the real world, even with limited perception,
or to shape a personal reality that feels beautiful, safe, and emotionally nourishing?

Here’s the honest, psychologically grounded way to look at it.

**1. Your limited perception does not make understanding the world pointless**

Yes, you have limitations—everyone does.
But understanding the world isn’t about achieving perfect truth.
It’s about achieving useful, helpful, life-improving understanding.

You don’t need to see the whole mountain to avoid falling off a cliff.

Every improvement in your understanding:

increases your ability to make good decisions
reduces fear and confusion
increases autonomy
deepens relationships
improves clarity and groundedness

Even partial understanding of reality empowers you.

So yes—it is worth it.

2. Creating your own beautiful, emotionally supportive internal reality is also valuable

Humans do this naturally:

imagination
dreams
narratives
meaning-making
emotional reframing
spiritual or artistic inner worlds

This personal reality:

protects you when life is harsh
gives you motivation
helps regulate emotions
inspires creativity and resilience
provides comfort and meaning

There is nothing wrong with having an inner world that is warmer and brighter than the external one.
It’s part of being human.

BUT—

3. The danger is when the inner world replaces the outer world

If your personal reality becomes a refuge → healthy.
If it becomes an escape from everything difficult → risky.
If it becomes a denial of external reality → harmful.

Why?

Because the external world still affects you:

your body
your relationships
your finances
your opportunities
your safety
your long-term well-being

A beautiful inner world cannot compensate for ignoring things that require real-world action.

**4. The healthiest and most powerful approach is a balance:**

**Ground one foot in the external world

and let the other foot rest in your inner world.**

Use your understanding of reality to navigate life.
Use your personal reality to stay emotionally nourished and inspired.

Think of it like this:

Your outer reality is your map of the world.
Your inner reality is your home inside it.

You need both.

5. So is it worth trying to understand the world despite limitations?

Absolutely.
Your limitations don’t invalidate the effort—they’re part of the journey.

You don’t need perfect knowledge.
Just better knowledge than yesterday.

6. Should you build a beautiful personal reality with the resources you have?

Yes, as long as:

it supports you
it doesn’t replace awareness of reality
it helps you live meaningfully
it doesn’t cut you off from connection or action

A healthy inner world is a strength, not a retreat.

7. The deepest answer

Reality is partly “out there” and partly “in here.”
Your task is not to choose one.

Your task is to integrate them:

See the world clearly.
Feel the world beautifully.
Live at the intersection.

If you’d like, we can explore:

how to build a strong, beautiful inner world
how to expand your perception of the external world
how to balance the two without losing yourself

Just tell me which path you feel drawn toward.

Only in a positive way: can I create and be happy in my own reality, ignoring others' realities and the world's reality? Can a human live in his own created reality happily without interacting with outside reality?

You can create an inner world that is emotionally safe, beautiful, and meaningful — this is normal and healthy.
But a human cannot fully detach from external reality without consequences, and it’s important to understand why.

I’ll answer your question only in a positive, constructive, supportive way, while still being honest.

Short answer

You can build a rich, meaningful inner world that brings happiness.
But a human cannot stay only inside a self-created reality indefinitely without being harmed by the realities of the body, relationships, or the world.

The goal is not to ignore reality.
The goal is to reshape your internal reality so it supports you while still engaging with the world in small, sustainable ways.

1. Can you create a personal inner reality that makes you happy?

Yes — absolutely.

Humans do it through:

imagination
creativity
spirituality
philosophy
daydreaming
art, music, writing
reframing experiences
choosing meaning
building inner narratives

Your inner world can be:

peaceful
beautiful
hopeful
meaningful
self-designed

And this is healthy when it supports your well-being.

Your mind is allowed to be a sanctuary.

2. Can you ignore other people’s realities and the world’s difficulties?

You can reduce how deeply they affect you.
You can choose what to focus on.
You can build emotional boundaries.
You can avoid absorbing negativity you can’t control.

But you cannot fully ignore external reality forever because:

your body exists in the world
you need food, safety, shelter
other people influence opportunities
society shapes daily life
external events impact you regardless of belief

Even if you try to live only inside your mind, the world will still affect your physical existence.

3. Can a person live in their own created reality without interacting with outside reality?

Not completely, and not sustainably.

A human being is:

a physical organism
a social species
a meaning-making mind
a creature needing connection
embedded in a physical environment

Even minimal interaction with reality is required to survive and to stay mentally balanced.

But here’s the important part:

✔ You don’t need to live deeply in external reality

✔ You don’t need to carry the world’s suffering

✔ You don’t need to be fully engaged socially

✔ You can keep interactions small, filtered, and gentle

You can protect your inner world without abandoning the outer one.

4. The healthiest possible structure

The most fulfilling life for humans tends to follow this pattern:

Inner world = Beautiful, self-created, meaningful

Outer world = Engaged with just enough to stay stable, safe, connected, and functional

Your inner world becomes your source of joy,
and the outer world becomes the place where your body lives and receives support.

Neither needs to dominate.

5. A helpful way to think about it

Your inner world is your home.
Your outer world is your environment.
You don’t have to love the environment to cultivate a wonderful home.

You can live mostly in your inner world and be happy,
as long as you keep a small door open to the outside world so you stay grounded, safe, and connected enough not to drift.

______________________________

With Chat GPT.

What is Reality?

What is reality?

1. The Physicalist View (Reality = the material world)

2. The Phenomenological View (Reality = what is experienced)

3. The Idealist View (Reality = fundamentally mental)

4. The Constructivist View (Reality = partly created by minds and societies)

5. The Simulation / Information-Theoretic View (Reality = computation or information)

6. The Pragmatic View (Reality = what works)

A simple synthesis

You said:

Are all these limited at the level of each individual's learning, knowledge, experience and capacity for processing information and feelings?

ChatGPT said:

1. Objective Reality (the physical world)

2. Subjective Reality (your inner world)

3. Inter-subjective Reality (shared social constructs)

But there’s a deeper point: the “filter problem”

So is reality limited by each individual?

You said:

So is the reality, a limited reality? How much real is the reality at the individual level?

ChatGPT said:

1. Reality Itself (whatever its ultimate structure is)

A. Reality is unlimited (or at least not limited in the way individuals are)

B. Reality might have limits, but not individual-level limits

2. Individual Reality (the personal version each person experiences)

3. How real is reality at the individual level?

Your individual reality is 100% real to you.

Your individual reality is only partially real in relation to the external world.

**You experience truth, but not the whole truth.

4. So what is the relationship between “reality” and “the individual’s reality”?

5. If you want a concise answer:

Is reality limited?

Is an individual’s reality limited?

How real is the individual reality?

You said:

So, trying to understand and analyse the world around me, at the level of my individual limitation, is it worth it? Or is it better to create my own personal reality in a beautiful and happy place with all the resurces I have?

ChatGPT said:

1. Your limited perception does not make understanding the world pointless

2. Creating your own beautiful, emotionally supportive internal reality is also valuable

3. The danger is when the inner world replaces the outer world

4. The healthiest and most powerful approach is a balance:

**Ground one foot in the external world

5. So is it worth trying to understand the world despite limitations?

6. Should you build a beautiful personal reality with the resources you have?

7. The deepest answer

You said:

Only in a positive way: can I create and be happy in my own reality, ignoring others' realities and the world's reality? Can a human live in his own created reality happily without interacting with outside reality?

ChatGPT said:

Short answer

1. Can you create a personal inner reality that makes you happy?

2. Can you ignore other people’s realities and the world’s difficulties?

3. Can a person live in their own created reality without interacting with outside reality?

✔ You don’t need to live deeply in external reality

✔ You don’t need to carry the world’s suffering

✔ You don’t need to be fully engaged socially

✔ You can keep interactions small, filtered, and gentle

4. The healthiest possible structure

Inner world = Beautiful, self-created, meaningful

Outer world = Engaged with just enough to stay stable, safe, connected, and functional

5. A helpful way to think about it

**Your individual reality is 100% real to you.**

**1. Your limited perception does not make understanding the world pointless**

**4. The healthiest and most powerful approach is a balance:**