What is Reality? What is Truth?
The Puzzle of All Puzzles
The question of «reality» bedevils philosophy and science. Closely connected is the notion of «truth». I regard «reality» as the way things are, and «truth» as a statement that corresponds accurately with that.
Most people take both «reality» and truth for granted, and regard detailed scrutiny and analysis of the abstraction as abstruse and arcane. But arguments about the status of assertions are nevertheless rather frequent.
When the frame of reference is "scientific", then «reality» is viewed either as:
- what exists utterly apart from human wishes, beliefs or intentions, or as
- what is most fundamental and on which everything depends (including wishes, beliefs etc).
Our frame of reference is taxonomic. Here, the distinguishing quality of «reality» in is that it can be discriminated because it is causative i.e. it makes things happen. Being psychosocial, any experience of «reality» must be shareable: which is why reference to «truth» is unavoidable. Truth claims, once articulated, become part of psychosocial «reality», and the two can become almost indistinguishable in practice.
THEE, being a practical taxonomy, should provide a useful perspective that is not unduly complicated. The present investigation of the seems to shed light on this age-old puzzle. From this latest perspective, reality is intrinsically about where our minds and the world interact, the Primal Nexus.
Division into Two Sets
In this investigation, I found a distinction between the upper two and the lower five. This dichotomous 2+5 splitting of THEE hierarchies has been described elsewhere as generating the Control Dimension
. This accords with the common efforts for control of what counts as reality and what is taken as truth.
Each of the lower five appears to have a distinctive view of reality and an associated quality of truth. When defended, a dominant personal attitude is evident. This lower set shows a hierarchical phenomenon in that reality/truth at one level builds primarily on what emerges at the level below (and therefore at lower levels too).
The two in the upper set seem to have no independent view. We use them to take control of what emerges from the lower set.
Control in the Lower Set
Summary Table for Lower Set
| L | Root Levels | Psychosocial Pressure | Primal Need via Primal Means |
Reality Form |
Dominant Attitude |
Truth Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RL5 | Understanding | Association via a shared reality |
Group | Conformist | Given | |
| RL4 | Well-being | Individuality via a sense of self |
Subjective | Private | Idiosyncratic | |
| RL3 | Acceptability | Discrimination via depiction |
Constructed | Self-interested | Perspectivist | |
| RL2 | Certainty | Knowledge via conjectures |
Unknowable | Skeptical | Provisional | |
| RL1 | Performance | Achievement via management |
Practical | Pragmatic | Inevitable |
In this realm, achievement is about production of some change in reality via management.
This is the level of doing and practice, and so reality becomes whatever is significant for achieving in the broadest sense. Objects in reality may be an outcome, an obstacle, an opportunity, a factor—anything connected with getting something done.
The attitude here is pragmatic to deal with the pressures for performance.
Truth is what works or what has happened and the process of achievement is akin to a «truth machine». It is meaningful to talk about "reaching the truth" insofar as that is about events unfolding, potentially in public view. We say that "the proof is in the pudding". In regard to the reality-truth of future states, you say: "we will see". So truth assertions embody an inevitability and a promise of eventual certainty.
Hierarchy: This is the base level for what counts as reality-truth for everyone. There is no lower level on which to depend.
Representative Use: Daily life.
Name: Practical Reality.
Alternative:
In this realm, knowledge is about investigating reality, starting from conjectures.
The position taken is that reality is uncertain, and can never be known, but that it is definitely there. If we could know it, then we would possess absolute truth. As a result, the focus is on the search for truth, which is taken to be endless. For those engaged here, it is often said that questions are more important than answers—at least you can be certain about your question. Any claimed truths are provisional (i.e. hypothetical) and progress is based on efforts to falsify hypotheses. An idea that is not falsifiable does not belong.
The attitude here is skeptical to confront pressures for certainty.
Scientific findings are naturally conflicting and confusing. Any comprehensive account invariably reveals gaps, inconsistencies, anomalies, disagreements, assumptions and mysteries (cf. Weinberg on physics
). The complexity, uncertainty and fragmentation (cf. Newton's "pebbles on the beach") is intolerable for most people. Even dedicated scientists in their everyday work cleave to a paradigm that permits serious anomalies to be minimized or ignored.
Hierarchy: Scientific propositions and hypothesis testing appeal to experiment or analyses, which depend on achievement. Establishing knowledge optimally involves managing and documenting specific achievements in a highly controlled, systematic and shareable way. Because science depends on practical achievement, it shares the problems and difficulties of reality in that realm e.g. resource shortage, time pressures, fraud, mistakes, breakdowns &c.
Representative Use: Scientific output
Name: Unknowable Reality.
Alternatives:
In this realm, discrimination is about recognizing significant features and depicting them as reality. This relates to change because
It is taken for granted that there is a partly known and partly knowable reality. However, it possesses a depth, complexity and detail that engenders confusion and uncertainty. As a result, truth depends on the depth of penetration, on the effort to represent, and on relevant intentions. Reality only gets represented in terms of some interest in it, and so people are liable to differ in how they represent the same reality. Truth is perspectivist because it lies in the model unconsciously used or perspective consciously taken. This position shapes what is emphasized, what is excluded, what connections are made, and what conclusions are drawn. Seeing with these blinkers is then believing.
The attitude here is self-interested as a response to pressures for acceptability.
Hierarchy: Any representation of reality usually draws on the results of that may be more or less stringent. However, systematic inquiry findings may be cherry-picked, distorted or discounted in the name of truth. are also selected and incorporated strategically.
Representative Use: Presentation by a group leader to insiders or outsiders, or an account by an investigative journalist.
Provisional Name: Constructed Reality.
Alternatives:
In this realm, individuality is about recognizing a self that functions within its reality.
A self differentiates and determines reality in its own preferred way. This produces a personal truth. What you experience in your life, especially socializing and traumatic experiences, creates a reality that you find yourself constructing, inhabiting and using. It is then the truth you live by. This reality includes inner fears, wishes, hopes, and feelings as well as what you sense, perceive, and know or believe about the world. Much of this is kept private or hidden from oneself; and the uniqueness of each person means idiosyncrasy and secrecy is acceptable.
The attitude here is idiosyncratic due to differences in how pressures for well-being are handled.
Hierarchy: The self primarily depends on from the level below. It draws into its reality-truth ambit preferred discriminations () because self-interest is so important for survival. () and () may also contribute.
Representative Use: Personal expression.
Name: Subjective Reality.
Alternatives:
In this realm, association is about getting together and sharing a reality within a group. A common language is intrinsic to group formation and reality formation.
In other words, reality has become intrinsic to the realm. Language is used to construct reality and enable stable enduring interactions with others, but language implies a group. The group confuses reality with the shared reality. It determines what must be taken as truth. Truth for us i.e. truth in my group, is therefore a function of socialization, belonging and popular pressures. Any plausible reality-claim, even a lie, rather easily becomes true based on repeated assertions by authority figures—as Lenin observed and propagandists know. Self-preservation of any group has a high, even top, priority. That is why the shared reality may be imposed coercively or dissidents expelled. There may be taboo issues if sub-groups have members feeling strongly about divergent truths.
The attitude here is conformist. The approach to communicating is tactful and diplomatic so as to avoid personal offense. The reality shared within your main group is like the water that fish swim in: largely taken for granted. Pressures for understanding are then easily met without the need for any depth or genuineness.
Hierarchy: Truth for us builds on the truth for me . The reality used here must fit with the members subjective reality or associating will not be congenial. Members will leave or become isolated and need to find others to share experiences. The lower levels are also relevant e.g. propaganda uses of reality, as well as findings, and on the ground. These lower level truths are incorporated unpredictably and unreliably.
There seems to be a cyclic pattern evident here in that carrying responsibility for -achievement is a function of to perceive and engage with a certain reality (See: 
).
Representative Use: Social interaction.
Name: Group Reality.
Alternatives:
Control by the Upper Set
It is evident from the lower set that reality is either unknowable or whatever you want to make it—which probably comes to the same thing.
It seems that all handling of reality in the upper set ) occurs under a variable pressure to respect truths from all lower level versions.
However, the reality that matters most in practice, probably due to evolutionary pressures, relates to achievement (). Life is pragmatic, and 'what happens' is the focus for control within the upper set.
In this realm, governance is the Primal Need and it depends on politics, the use of power within a group in order to get personal benefit from social goods. Those in possession of social goods, especially wealth and power, have the advantage.
The psychosocial pressure here is autonomy. Combined with power, which is intrinsically anti-rational, autonomy permits truth to be handled flexibly. Truth may be twisted, bent, deformed or ignored, so that reality may be adjusted for good ends or bad.
Autonomy may lead to helping others or benefiting the group. In this regard, the critical feed within is from which determines the production of goodness in governance as in all endeavours.
The challenge here appears to be operating via the -reality of your main group, recognizing your own -subjective reality, and using truths derived from handling reality in other applicable realms, but especially .
In this realm, competence is about being effective in order to generate benefit for others in particular social situations. Under the pressure of selflessness, personal biases and self-interest are put aside in a spirit of service. See details here.
Reality and Truth of any form are handled sensibly in order to facilitate the relevant outcomes and ultimate achievement ().
The focus here seems to be on mastery of reality within the limit of personal capability () and a readiness to apply any relevant perspective while engaging with the challenge.
Review of Concepts
Here is a Summary Table:
| L | Root Levels | Psychosocial Pressure | Primal Need via Primal Means |
Reality Form |
Dominant Attitude |
Truth Quality |
Example Output | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RL7 | Selflessness | Competence via Effectiveness |
Effectiveness and Politics demand selection of realities and attitudes to produce outcomes. |
Serves impersonal requirements. | ||||
| RL6 | Autonomy | Governance via Politics |
Serves personal values/interests. | |||||
| RL5 | Understanding | Association via A Shared Reality |
|
Group | Conformist | Given | Journalistic | |
| RL4 | Well-being | Individuality via The Self |
|
Subjective | Private | Idiosyncratic | Confessional | |
| RL3 | Acceptability | Discrimination via Depiction |
|
Constructed | Self-interested | Perspectivist | Narrative | |
| RL2 | Certainty | Knowledge via Conjectures |
|
Unknowable | Skeptical | Provisional | Scientific | |
| RL1 | Performance | Achievement via Management |
|
Practical | Pragmatic | Certainty | Descriptive | |
There are other compound terms in use e.g. mundane reality, psychosocial reality, inter-subjective reality. By examining each in context, the reference should become evident.
Psychosocial reality is a standard phrase used to refer to the field of the Taxonomy. It is described here as something created by a person that is shareable with others. It is therefore an aspect of reality. Part of the notion is that social sharing should often occur e.g. in a family, project or organization. If that occurs, it supports development of part of the reality. The applications and incorporation of taxonomic conceptions into appropriate groups is a goal of TOP.
Initially posted: 30-Nov-2013. Last amended 2-Jan-2015.
All material here is in a draft form. There will be errors and omissions. Nothing should be copied or distributed without express permission. Thank you.Copyright © Warren Kinston 2009-2018. All Rights Reserved.