Reality is not as obvious and simple as we like to think. Some of the things that people accepted as true at face value are considered notoriously wrong today.
Scientists and philosophers have made every effort to change our common perceptions of it
Here we are presenting five most unusual theories that will change your perception about the world…
1. PLATO AND LOGOS
Everybody has heard of Plato. He is the world’s most famous philosopher. Like all philosophers he had a few things to say about reality. He argued that beyond our perceived reality there lies a world of “perfect” forms. Everything that we see is just a shade, an imitation of how things truly are. He argued that by studying philosophy we have a chance of catching a glimpse of how things truly are, of discovering the perfect forms of everything we perceive.
In addition to this stunning statement, Plato, being a monist, said that everything is made of a single substance. Which means (according to him) that diamonds, gold and dog feces all consist of the same basic material, but in a different form, which, with science’s discovery of atoms and molecules, has been proven true to an extent.
2. FICTIONAL REALISM
This theory speculates that most fictional characters we know of (like batman, superman and Harry Potter) may actually exist in some universes. If you can think it into existence, in some realm it must exist. Therefore, our fiction and fantasy may be descriptive of an alternate universe, which may have suitable conditions for the existence of such characters.
3. PRESENTISM
Presentism is a simple, yet somewhat difficult to grasp concept on time and existence, stating that the only reality is the present. According to this theory, any past or future event is only imaginary, and it’s only really worth focusing on what’s going on right now.
4, IDEALIST PHILOSOPHY
George Berkeley, the father of Idealism, argued that everything exists as an idea in someone’s mind. Berkley discovered that some of his comrades considered his theory stupid.
The story goes that one of his detractors kicked a stone with his eyes closed and said, “There I’ve disproved it!” The idea being that if the stone really only exists in his imagination, he could not have kicked it with his eyes closed.
Refutation of Berkeley is hard to understand, especially in these days. He argued that there is an omnipotent and omnipresent God, who sees all and all at once. Realistic, or not?
5. THE MULTIVERSE THEORY
Anyone who has not spent the last ten years on a desert island, has at least once heard of “the multiverse”, or parallel universes.
As many of us have seen, parallel words, in theory, are worlds very similar to ours, with little (or in some cases, large) changes or differences.
The multiverse theory speculates that there could exist an infinite number of these alternate realities. What’s the point? In a parallel reality you have already killed the dinosaurs, and you are lying under the ground at a depth of eight feet (because that’s what happened there.)
In the other you might be a powerful dictator. In another you might never have even been born since your parents never met. Now that’s a memorable image.
Source: Learning Mind and All Womes Talk-LifeStyle
