What is Reality?

I think it is—the Continuum of Experience. I mean by the Continuum of Experience: something not identified with a brain, or with a number of brains; something that is infinitely extended in space and time; and something that does not divide up into parts. I mean the undetermined; I mean—almost—nothingness.

Contrasted with this view is Physicalism. Physicalism says that the Continuum of Experience is a representation of Reality; thus that it is just a part of Reality, something that is inside my head (something that is thus finite and divisible).

Thus Physicalism says there is another, greater, reality. This greater reality it calls “the Physical”. The Continuum of Experience is accordingly rechristened “the Subjective” or “Appearance” or “the Known” or “the Mind” or “Theory”.

What is the nature of this physical reality? Its fundamental features are two.

1. It is Objective.

But it is objective only because there is a subject. It is something you look at. Another word for objective is finite. It is is finite because there is something other than it, because there is a representation of it, because there is a mind, because there is a Continuum of Experience.

2. It is Divisible.

But it is divisible only because there is something in the middle of it. It is something all around you. It is divisible because there is something it is to the left of, to the right of, above, below, etc. because there is a representation of it, because there is a mind, because there is a Continuum of Experience.

That is: whilst Physicalism strives to discount or at least to discredit the Continuum of Experience, it is the very inclusion of the Continuum of Experience within its picture—the absolutely necessary inclusion—which generates the fundamental features of the Physical. It is only that there is a scientist, that Reality is scientific (physical). The essence of Physicalism is not—there is a thing, a great thing, the universe, which divides into parts, which is unconscious matter, or space, or events—but—there is something to find out about (something that is not the Continuum of Experience), and there is something that does the finding out (the Continuum of Experience). We think we all go round with little pictures in our heads of the real, physical world, but it’s the exact opposite of this. That picture—of us going round the world with little pictures in our heads of it—is itself the picture. The Continuum of Experience is not a picture of the Physical; the Physical is a picture of the Continuum of Experience.

Physicalism, in thus unconsciously availing itself of the Continuum of Experience, and at the same time denying it—by saying that in fact it is just a part of Reality, just flesh—thus conceives the Self—and thus conceives representation too (and things that represent, and are represented, and are not represented, and misrepresented, etc.)—and Knowledge (and the Unknown, and things that know)—and generates all the questions that follow: What is Representation? How is the Mind identified with the Brain? How is the Brain about the World? What is Knowledge? Etc..

I have described here what I think the Physical is, but in fact I have only described half of the Physical, the spatial half. There is another half, Time, which I have had to omit (along with other things) to keep this from getting even longer.

Reality doesn’t require an explanation—because it isn’t anything. God or Objective Reality as explanations are question-begging (: where did God come from?; where did Objective Reality come from?). In the middle ages they called Cause, the underlying, the explanans: “God”, and there was earnest—and reverent—investigation into His attributes. As belief in God diminished so Idealism emerged. Nietzsche believed that after the death of God we would be free. But he overestimated us: there was a counter-reformation (which Russell, winningly, dubbed a “rebellion” against Idealism): the Learned reconvened, only this time calling the focus of their investigation—their earnest and indeed reverent investigation—not “God” but “Objective Reality”.