Why Questioning Reality is the Most Grounded Thing You Can Do
By Betty Bassett, writer on leadership, decision-making, and personal growth through the lens of philosophy
Understanding your beliefs about the nature of reality is more than academic. It's helpful to consider different perspectives on how this question can be answered. Each lens offers a different image from which you can determine your beliefs:
Are you an idealist?
Plato proposed that reality is fundamentally mental and that the physical world is a shadow of the true, unchanging reality.
Approach: Reflect on if you believe the world you see is a true representation of reality.
Do you think there are deeper truths?
Are you an empiricist?
John Locke asserted that our knowledge of the world is derived from sensory experiences.
Approach: Consider the role of your senses in shaping what you think is reality.
How much do you trust what you perceive? Do you believe that knowledge comes only from what you can see, hear, taste and touch?
Are you a rationalist?
René Descartes emphasized the role of reason and intellect in understanding reality, famously…
