This will help clarify what constitutes Reality (it's only 2 pages, or you could go to the Facebook page referred to):
Reality
Absolute
As it is not possible to know anything beyond the confines of our existence, it has to be assumed that our understanding of it involves presuppositions and limitations. There is always the possibility of other, unattainable, information. Simply, if 'A', there is always the possibility of 'not-A'. This does not imply that there is an existence other than our own, only that there is always the possibility thereof.
So what can be known, irrespective of when or how, may never be absolute. Our knowledge can only ever be regarded as having validity based on an intrinsic perspective. Put the other way around, from an alternative point of reference (which, even if it existed could never be experienced by us) our understanding may be shown to be incorrect.
In delineating what cannot be known, and the boundaries within which we function, this existential conundrum shows how an objective analysis of reality can be formulated (ie it proves, and defines, a specified closed system). As the possible state of 'not-existence' is unknowable, trying to define it, or view reality from that perspective (ie one supposedly without pre-conditions, variously referred to as the 'truth', 'actual', 'real', etc) is pointless scientifically.
For the scientific process then, the task is to investigate reality as experienced by us, and not conjecture about the unknowable.
Reality
Evidence indicates that all individuals have the same experience of certain entities under the same circumstances. Even in other situations, similarities occur. This implies that 'something' (which could be labelled (awkwardly) real reality) exists independently of individual consciousness, and it is then experienced, not created by experience. How this (ie all individuals having a similar experience) ultimately occurs is a metaphysical question, as it addresses the concept of what is the 'true' nature of experience, and is therefore irrelevant to an objective analysis.
First there is the boundary of existence, then there is one that is determined by individual consciousness. So, the reality that can be identified in these individual experiences can only ever be an accurate, but experiential representation, of what actually exists within the confines of our existence. In other words, while procedures can be followed that logically ensure that the inferred reality is correct, that can never ultimately be proven, given the limitation of consciousness.
Simply, 'what might really be' is unknowable. Experiencing 'what is' results in 'what appears to be' (an experience), a first order representation of 'what is'. Then that can be refined to 'what really appears to be'. The latter is best referred to as reality, although it is actually an approximation thereof, since otherwise the narrative becomes over complicated and potentially confusing. And anyway, nothing more accurate is achievable, that is, within the boundaries of our consciousness, 'what really appears to be' constitutes 'what is'. Having necessarily established the correct status of what will be referred to as reality, progress can then be effected in determining how to identify it.
Another way of expressing this would be a less immediately elegant expression of a well know phrase, which would be: 'I know I know, I know you know, you know I know, so we all know we know, but that is all we know, because we do not really know what we know'.
Extrapolating reality from individual experiences
Entities whose manifestation has a form independent of the process of experience comprise reality (ie existent entities). They transcend our experience of them since they exist separately, unlike non-existent entities which only appear to transcend our experience in that they refer to attributes beyond our existence. However, there are several factors involved in perception which interfere with the resulting representation of them.
These can be resolved with the application of reverse engineering to the experiential process, and/or logic, whilst technology can be used to enhance the sensory/thought process. The fundamental aim being to identify what has been, or what could have been, directly (or indirectly) perceived when any identifiable interference resulting from the process of experience is eradicated.
Although reality comprises existent entities, those that are not experienceable directly, for technical reasons, must also be included. Otherwise that knowledge would be lost. Therefore, if an entity can be identified on the basis of other (preferably direct) experiences and verifiable reasoning, then the resulting inferred entity can be deemed to exist, albeit hypothetically (ie it could be labelled as an inferred existent entity, as opposed to a realised existent entity).
So, the criteria for existence is that either entities can be experienced directly, or their existence can be determined logically from other validated experiences. The critical point being whether the inability to achieve an experience is a function of the process, or because the entity alluded to has no form of experienceable existence whatsoever.
Conclusion
Within the inescapable constraints of our existence, our experience of reality does not create it, though it is the only function through which it is manifested. The process of experience interferes with the resulting representation of reality, but those effects can be identified and eradicated in order to discern what actually instigated the experience.
Reality does not exist a priori, in the sense that an experience causes one option amongst many to be realised, and the other 'possibilities' may or may not continue to exist. It exists a priori in that it is independent of the sensory/thought process whereby it is realised.
© Paul Reed
April 2011
Extracted from Theory of Reality and Time posted on Re Ality (Facebook, look for the boy with his cat)
Defintion of Key Concepts
Not Real Reality
That which possibly exists, but is not experienceable
Real Reality
That which is experienceable by any living organism.
Entity
Anything which is experienceable by any living organism (ie Real Reality).
[NB: In the sense that everything is undergoing a continuous process of change, then every discrete stage of every sequence of change represents a different entity, because the previous state (ie entity) no longer exists. As this is too cumbersome to account for grammatically in a narrative description, then labels such as 'attribute', 'characteristic', etc, are used to refer to changes when the entity is not 'fundamentally' changed. This is the elementary unit of Real Reality].
Reality
That which is deemed to exist once any interference in an experience of Real Reality has been eradicated.
Process of experience
The entire process whereby any entity is detected by any living organism.
Experience
The representation of an entity resulting from a process of experience effected by any living individual organism.
Sight based experience
A representation of any entity which is enabled by that part of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum which is able to convey information that is realisable as a direct optical image of that entity.
Interference
Any effect which alters the representation of Real Reality during the process of experience.
Change
The process whereby any entity becomes another entity.
