The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes

Questions About The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes

by Donald D. Hoffman (Goodreads Author)

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Case Against Reality, please sign up.

Answered Questions (2)

But if the moon isn't there when it's not observed, how does it's force of gravity and gravity's effect on the tides still continue at an observable, predictable times for thousands of years. Our mental construct of objective reality must be awfully close to correct. And even if we have a very incorrect view of reality, we will never ever be able to overcome our interface problem to know that... so book is pointless?
Marvin K. Harris The theory states that the image of the moon in our conscious experience is a simplified representation, molded by our evolutionary constraints. It is…moreThe theory states that the image of the moon in our conscious experience is a simplified representation, molded by our evolutionary constraints. It is not saying there is no reality when we look away, but that constructed mental image that you experience is not real.

Take it seriously but not literally. Not taking things literally opens up our mind to other mental models of reality that we wouldn't otherwise. That is the importance of this theory.(less)
flag
The argument presented in chapter 4 seems a little bit shaky to me. Is it not more probable for an organism to evolve a three-valued perceptual system that differentiates between lower-than-safe, safe, and higher-than-safe levels of a substance in its vicinity?
Forked Radish Evolution, which was first proposed by Anaximander in the 6th c. BC, is the equivalent of a monkey making "science" with its own feces. All the argume…moreEvolution, which was first proposed by Anaximander in the 6th c. BC, is the equivalent of a monkey making "science" with its own feces. All the arguments in the book which depend on the neo-creation* myth of Darwinian evolution with its fundamentalist high priests like Richard Dawkins and their church of Universal Darwinism**are false. Creationism needs, like a vampire, to have a stake driven through its heart in order to stop its perennial manifestation. That stake is the concept of intrinsicality i.e that things are as they appear and vice versa, ipso facto... Appearance makes reality just as taste makes flavour and vice versa. The need for a causative process viz. determinism, e.g. evolution is simply an intellectual defect peculiar to Man.
*As defined by Wikipedia: "Neo-creationism is a pseudoscientific movement which aims to reinstate creationism in terms more likely to be received by the public, by policy makers, by educators and by the scientific community. ..."
** See chapter four, p. 99, & f.n. #9.(less)
flag

Unanswered Questions (1)

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more