'What is real?' has been one of the key questions of philosophy since its beginning in antiquity. But it is not just a question that philosophers ask. This Very Short Introduction discusses what reality is by looking at a variety ofarguments, theories, and thought-experiments from philosophy, physics, and cognitive science. 'What is real?' has been one of the key questions of philosophy since its beginning in antiquity. It is a question that, due to such films as The Matrix, has also made its way into popular culture. But it is not just a question philosophers ask. It is also asked by scientists when they investigate whether the fundamental constituents of matter are actually 'out there' orjust a mere abstraction from a successful theory. Cognitive scientists ask itwhen trying to find outwhich set of the bewildering array of data processed by our brain could constitute the basis for such supposedly fundamental entities like the free agent or the self.This Very Short Introduction discusses what reality is by looking at a variety of arguments, theories and thought-experiments from philosophy, physics, andcognitive science. INDICE: Introduction What is real? Dreams and simulations Is matter real? Are persons real? Is time real? Conclusion References and Further Reading
- ISBN: 978-0-19-959441-2
- Editorial: Oxford University
- Encuadernacion: Rústica
- Páginas: 136
- Fecha Publicación: 24/11/2011
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés