Reality! Reality is an interesting concept. To me the definition is simple. Reality is palpable, a physical construction, facts that are based on observations of physical interactions, explanations of phenomena that are consistently replicable, the structures composed of the atoms, elements, and molecules that include everything tangible from stars, planets, rocks, metals, chemicals, and life. But in human culture perceptions of reality are not that simple. There are several kinds of reality. The first, of course, is actual reality, the tangible reality that is the working foundation of the physical elements of human existence. The second is the constructs of human culture that are real, but intangible, such as human relationships, economics, emotions, and ideas. And of course, thirdly, there is the human imaginative reality that is real only in the human mind, a very broad category that encompasses human psychosis, some human relationships, human perceptions of the existence and interaction with humanity of supernatural worlds and beings, and the codification of human imaginations of gods in the ubiquitous social structures of religion.
This is how I look at the structure of our realities. Perhaps it is too much to hope for, that the body of humanity will learn to base culture and future development on the realities that define and describe the physical environment that is past, present, and future of human existence; and the intangible reality of the human interactions that created the past of humanity, define the present of humanity, and that will determine the future of humanity. The apparent fact, realized and described as early as 1798 by the Anglican cleric, Thomas Robert Malthus, is that if humanity does not learn to live and grow with the understanding that what we do now with our actual reality will determine the actual reality of the future of humanity.
So what are our chances that humanity will be on the path to sustainability within the next 50 years, probably the last window in time that we have to make the transition from a supernatural commandment to conquer the Earth to the actual reality of living with the physical limitations of continued uncontrolled growth and development?
Martin Moe
So what are our chances that humanity will be on the path to sustainability within the next 50 years, probably the last window in time that we have to make the transition from a supernatural commandment to conquer the Earth to the actual reality of living with the physical limitations of continued uncontrolled growth and development? Martin MoeIt depends what you mean by sustainability, there's different kinds of sustainability. And sustainability itself is unsustainable in the long run.
And sustainability itself is unsustainable in the long run.How so?
True, most words have different meanings and all words in all languages are capable of changes in meanings and eventually changes in definitions as language evolves. The accuracy conveyed by many words, like “sustainability" are time sensitive. Their meaning varies, or rather becomes more precise when the time factor, and the conditions concerning the process described are fully explained. In this case “sustainability” lacks precision, but I think the intent is clear. It refers to humanity being able to constrain growth, development, pollution, and exploitation of the renewable and non renewable natural resources of the Earth in such a way as to avoid environmental catastrophe and collapse of a human civilization that is now in the difficult process of learning to live with itself. Obviously there will eventually be an ending to the Earth’s capability to sustain life, including human life, and whether human life can exist to and maybe beyond that time is a matter of speculation. ( And wow, have we ever speculated about that!)
Back to your original question, Martin, I don’t know the answer. We need to get past our superstitious beliefs if we are to maintain a comfortable standard of living, but I don’t know how we’re going to do so within 50 years. I agree with your timeline, by the way. We are running out of cheap energy, and that cheap energy is destroying our ecosystems. Maybe the consequences of global warming will cause people to wake up and realize we have only one fragile planet to live on and we’d better take care of it.
I’ve thought a great deal about the concepts you expressed in your response, Darron, and I don’t know the answer either. It seems that a rational, reasonably educated, human mind could look at the knowledge that humanity has developed about itself at this point in our history and at the way the ecosystems of the planet are responding to our uncontrolled growth and development and not come to the obvious conclusion you articulated so well. Perhaps the greatest stumbling block is the belief that supernatural beings in a supernatural world are pulling the strings of us human puppets and nothing really matters because someday these supernatural beings are going to stop playing around with us, save some of us (perhaps as pets), and gleefully burn the rest of us in a lake of fire forever. Ridiculous, of course, but firmly ingrained in human religious beliefs.
I think the answer might be twofold, first to continue and expand the secular efforts to place religious beliefs in the realm of myth and legend through continued and expanding efforts in education. But that would not be enough… Belief in a controlling supernatural force has been with humanity since we first wondered about those little lights in the night sky, and worried about whether the length of days would continue to wane and how the supernatural force that controlled the sun could be persuaded to reverse the decline of the days. In fact, the tendency to give leadership to those that express an authority given to them by a supernatural being may even be a part of our genetic heritage.
It seemed to me that somehow there must be a way that the carrot (heaven) and the stick (hell) of religion that controls the donkey of humanity could be replaced by a more functional way of extending the reach of an individual into the future and preserving the essence of an individual human without resorting to the whims of a supernatural being. OK, I’m getting carried away here, I’ll stop. But if one wants to explore it further, I did write a book on this topic, it’s a free book on Smashwords, and 99 cents on Kindle.
Define reality.
Lois
Define reality. LoisReality is that which does not go away even when you stop believing in it.
And sustainability itself is unsustainable in the long run.How so?Nothing lasts forever.
And sustainability itself is unsustainable in the long run.How so?Nothing lasts forever. Of course not. The universe will probably tear itself apart in a few trillion years. Meanwhile, we have a society to run. Sustainability isn't about lasting until the end of the universe, it's about not consuming more resources than the Earth can replace.
In this case "sustainability" lacks precision, but I think the intent is clear. It refers to humanity being able to constrain growth, development, pollution, and exploitation of the renewable and non renewable natural resources of the Earth in such a way as to avoid environmental catastrophe and collapse of a human civilization that is now in the difficult process of learning to live with itself. Obviously there will eventually be an ending to the Earth’s capability to sustain life, including human life, and whether human life can exist to and maybe beyond that time is a matter of speculation. ( And wow, have we ever speculated about that!)Doubtful we will solve any of those problems in the next 50 years. Some improvements have been made, but they are limited improvements. Population growth has nearly stopped in the first world (except for immigration) but it is rampant in the poorest parts of the world. Development is slowing down in the USA with my generation - i.e. less suburbanization, less people driving, less families being formed, but I don't know how much of a dent that will make. Air and water pollution levels in the US have been declining over the last 40 years or so, although worldwide levels are still too high, and rising. Energy and resources handling seems to be a battle we will eventually lose. My view is that a technologically advanced world with a high standard of living doesn't mix with living in harmony with the earth. So something will have to break.
And sustainability itself is unsustainable in the long run.How so?Nothing lasts forever. Of course not. The universe will probably tear itself apart in a few trillion years. Meanwhile, we have a society to run. Sustainability isn't about lasting until the end of the universe, it's about not consuming more resources than the Earth can replace.It is about lasting for a few hundred years more, and our society may be too complex for that.
And sustainability itself is unsustainable in the long run.How so?Nothing lasts forever. Of course not. The universe will probably tear itself apart in a few trillion years. Meanwhile, we have a society to run. Sustainability isn't about lasting until the end of the universe, it's about not consuming more resources than the Earth can replace.It is about lasting for a few hundred years more, and our society may be too complex for that. I agree completely with that statement.
Define reality.it's all in your head ;-P
Everybody never realize reality in all time. But they never understand it. That is the problem.
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
― Albert Einstein
Of course reality means different things for different people. Some realities are gentle and gilded, and some are harsh and painful; but all of the realities that humanity experiences have the same foundation. A human brain is a wad of fatty tissue encased in a cranium of bone. It functions according to the culture it is a part of, the training it has received, it’s current environment, and the genetic programming that formed it. All reality that we experience, real or imaginary, is temporary and constantly changing. It changes on a scale totally independent of humanity, but also on a scale completely dependent on humanity. We have done a very poor job of living and working with reality, and a good job of creating human perspectives of reality that support what we want at the extreme expense of human cultures other than our own and at the extreme expense of the planetary environment that spawned and supports us.
Darron’s definition of reality is right on: “Reality is that which does not go away even when you stop believing in it." A mother holding a dead infant in Syria is reality, as is a mother holding a dead infant in New York. One may be Muslim, one may be Christian, but the fact of birth and death for others and for ourselves is a reality we all will experience. And that reality is biology driven by evolution. A tree that falls does make a noise even if a human is not present.
Of course reality means different things for different people. Some realities are gentle and gilded, and some are harsh and painful; but all of the realities that humanity experiences have the same foundation. A human brain is a wad of fatty tissue encased in a cranium of bone. It functions according to the culture it is a part of, the training it has received, it’s current environment, and the genetic programming that formed it. All reality that we experience, real or imaginary, is temporary and constantly changing. It changes on a scale totally independent of humanity, but also on a scale completely dependent on humanity. We have done a very poor job of living and working with reality, and a good job of creating human perspectives of reality that support what we want at the extreme expense of human cultures other than our own and at the extreme expense of the planetary environment that spawned and supports us. Darron’s definition of reality is right on: “Reality is that which does not go away even when you stop believing in it." A mother holding a dead infant in Syria is reality, as is a mother holding a dead infant in New York. One may be Muslim, one may be Christian, but the fact of birth and death for others and for ourselves is a reality we all will experience. And that reality is biology driven by evolution. A tree that falls does make a noise even if a human is not present.
So what are our chances that humanity will be on the path to sustainability within the next 50 yearsChances are good. Check out Hans Roslings videos and *website. His data is an indicator. Here's a pertinent one: https://youtu.be/FACK2knC08E For anyone not familiar with Rosling, here's an excellent video to get you started: https://youtu.be/jbkSRLYSojo * http://www.gapminder.org/
Define reality. LoisReality is that which does not go away even when you stop believing in it. I don't know about that. I and a lot of other people stopped believing in christianity, but it hasn't gone away. ;) Lois