One of the oldest debates in the history of human quest for knowledge is whether we can access the objective reality at all. Some think there is no objective reality at all and that “it’s all in our minds”, others think there is nothing else besides it and that our knowledge directly represents that reality. There are many more views and positions between these two extremes. However, what if we think of our faculties (senses, mind etc.) as tools? Tools have a function, they are made to perform that function. Of course, they can also be used in novel, creative, unexpected ways. What if the function of our tools (our faculties) is not knowledge of objective reality or truth but something else? What if our use of these faculties to gain knowledge of truth and reality is a novel, creative, unexpected way of applying these tools?

Contemporary philosopher Hilary Lawson talks about these and other ideas in this 30-min video: The trouble with truth and reality. Enjoy!

Keeping up the “Spreading the Word” tradition, every weekend, I hope to share with you an article I’ve read or a video I’ve seen and considered to be inspiring and insightful. I feel it is important to take good care both of our physical and mental well-being. Humans have always turned and returned to storytelling to find meaning. My weekends’ “Spreading the Word” posts are an online version of sharing meaningful stories.   

keep exploring and storytelling!

_{Image credit: Photo by Tobias Bjerknes on Unsplash}