'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' or just a mere abstraction from a successful theory. Cognitive scientists ask it when trying to find out which 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, and cognitive science.
Part of episode 36 of season 4 (2013) of Morgan Freeman's "Through the Wormhole" ("Is Reality Real") is based on this book. The relevant section starts at 30:34.
Reviews:
Rob Hardy in The Dispatch, 7th June 2012 [pdf]
Jeremy Lott in The Washington Times, 6th April 2012 [link]
Steven Poole in the Guardian Review, 16th December 2011 [link]
This Very Short Introduction discusses what reality is by looking at a variety of arguments, theories and thought-experiments from philosophy, physics, and cognitive science.
Part of episode 36 of season 4 (2013) of Morgan Freeman's "Through the Wormhole" ("Is Reality Real") is based on this book. The relevant section starts at 30:34.
Reviews:
Rob Hardy in The Dispatch, 7th June 2012 [pdf]
Jeremy Lott in The Washington Times, 6th April 2012 [link]
Steven Poole in the Guardian Review, 16th December 2011 [link]