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Dream argument - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dreamargument
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Thedreamargumentisthepostulationthattheactofdreamingprovidespreliminaryevidencethatthesenses wetrusttodistinguishrealityfromillusionshouldnotbefullytrusted,andthereforeanystatethatisdependent onoursensesshouldattheveryleastbecarefullyexaminedandrigorouslytestedtodeterminewhetheritisin factreality.

Contents
1Synopsis 2Simulatedreality 3Recentdiscussion 4Inpopularculture 5Seealso 6Notes 7References

Synopsis
Whilepeopledream,theyusuallydonotrealizetheyaredreaming(iftheydo,itiscalledaluciddream).This hasledphilosopherstowonderwhetheronecouldactuallybedreamingconstantly,insteadofbeingin wakingreality(oratleastthatonecannotbecertain,atanygivenpointintime,thatoneisnotdreaming).In theWest,thisphilosophicalpuzzlewasreferredtobyPlato(Theaetetus158bd)andAristotle(Metaphysics 1011a6).HavingreceivedseriousattentioninRenDescartes'MeditationsonFirstPhilosophy,thedream argumenthasbecomeoneofthemostprominentskepticalhypotheses. IntheEast,thistypeofargumentiswellknownas"Zhuangzidreamedhewasabutterfly"( Zhungzhumngdi):Onenight,Zhuangzi(369BC)dreamedthathewasacarefreebutterfly,flying happily.Afterhewokeup,hewonderedhowhecoulddeterminewhetherhewasZhuangziwhohadjust finisheddreaminghewasabutterfly,orabutterflywhohadjuststarteddreaminghewasZhuangzi.Thiswas ametaphorforwhathereferredtoasa"greatdream": Hewhodreamsofdrinkingwinemayweepwhenmorningcomeshewhodreamsofweeping mayinthemorninggoofftohunt.Whileheisdreaminghedoesnotknowitisadream,andin hisdreamhemayeventrytointerpretadream.Onlyafterhewakesdoesheknowitwasa dream.Andsomedaytherewillbeagreatawakeningwhenweknowthatthisisallagreat dream.Yetthestupidbelievetheyareawake,busilyandbrightlyassumingtheyunderstand things,callingthismanruler,thatoneherdsmanhowdense!Confuciusandyouareboth dreaming!AndwhenIsayyouaredreaming,Iamdreaming,too.Wordslikethesewillbe labeledtheSupremeSwindle.Yet,aftertenthousandgenerations,agreatsagemayappearwho willknowtheirmeaning,anditwillstillbeasthoughheappearedwithastonishingspeed.[1]
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SomeschoolsofthoughtinBuddhism(e.g.,Dzogchen),considerperceivedrealityliterallyunreal.Asa prominentcontemporaryteacher,ChgyalNamkhaiNorbu,putsit:"Inarealsense,allthevisionsthatwesee inourlifetimearelikeabigdream[...]".[2]Inthiscontext,theterm'visions'denotesnotonlyvisual perceptions,butappearancesperceivedthroughallsenses,includingsounds,smells,tastesandtactile sensations,andoperationsonreceivedmentalobjects.

Simulatedreality
Seealso:SimulatedrealityandSimulationhypothesis Dreamingprovidesaspringboardforthosewhoquestionwhetherourownrealitymaybeanillusion.The abilityofthemindtobetrickedintobelievingamentallygeneratedworldisthe"realworld"meansatleast onevarietyofsimulatedrealityisacommon,evennightlyevent.[3] Thosewhoarguethattheworldisnotsimulatedmustconcedethatthemindatleastthesleepingmindis notitselfanentirelyreliablemechanismforattemptingtodifferentiaterealityfromillusion.[4]

WhateverIhaveaccepteduntilnowasmosttruehascometomethroughmysenses.But occasionallyIhavefoundthattheyhavedeceivedme,anditisunwisetotrustcompletely thosewhohavedeceivedusevenonce.

RenDescartes[5]

Recentdiscussion
Manycontemporaryphilosophershaveattemptedtorefutedreamskepticismindetail(see,e.g.,Stone (1984)[citationneeded]).Perhapsmostnotably,ErnestSosa(2007)hasdevotedachapterofarecent monographtothetopic.There,Sosapresentsanewtheoryofdreamingandarguesthathistheoryraisesa newargumentforskepticism,whichheattemptstorefute.JonathanIchikawa(2008)andNathanBallantyne &IanEvans(2010)haveofferedcritiquesofSosa'sproposedsolution.

Inpopularculture
InLewisCarroll'sThroughtheLookingGlass,AlicefindstheRedKingasleepinthegrassTweedledum andTweedledeetellherthattheRedKingisdreamingabouther,andthatifheweretowakeupshewould "gooutbang!justlikeacandle...."AsimilarthemeisexploredinTheLegendofZelda:Link's Awakening,toldfromtheperspectiveofthedreamerinhisownrealmofdreams. Inthe1999movieTheMatrix,machinesimprisonthehumanraceandplugtheminto"theMatrix",an enormousmachinesystemthatuseshumanbioelectricityandbodyheatasabiologicalbatterytopowerthe machines.ConnectedtotheMatrix,thehumansarekeptinadreamlikestate,inwhichtheydreamofbeingin theworldasitistodaytheyhavenoreasontosuspectthatitisanythingotherthantherealworld.Certain peoplesensetheinnateartificialityoftheillusionand,throughvariousmeans,"wakeup",breakingfreeofthe

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Matrix.Theoverallthemeoftheseriesisthe"wakingdream"scenario,andspeculationsonwhichrealityis preferable.ThisconceptisfurtherexploredduringthesecondMatrixfilmwhereoneofthemaincharacters appearstobeabletoutilizeabilitiesusuallyusedinthe"dream"inwhatthecharactercurrentlybelievesis "reality",leavingtheviewertoquestionifthecharacterisinfactinreality,oriftheyarestillinsidethedream. IntheoriginaltelevisionseriesTheTwilightZone,theepisodeShadowPlay(writtenbyCharlesBeaumont, originallyairedMay5,1961,Season2,Episode26)concernsamantrappedinarecurringnightmarein whichhedreamsheisaprisoninmatesentencedtodeathandtobeexecutedhetriestoconvincethe charactersinhisdreamthattheyareonlyfigmentsofhisimaginationandthattheywillceasetoexistifthe executioniscarriedout. RichardLinklater'sWakingLifedealsmostlywiththissubject,revolvingaroundamanbeingawareofhaving beentrappedinsidehisowndream. InBuffytheVampireSlayerNormalAgain(S06E17)Buffyisknowinglypoisonedbyademonwith hallucinations,sheflashesbetweenanotherrealitywherehehasbeeninamentalinstitutionfor6yearsfor believingtheoriginalreality,thisrealityisgivenmorevalidityassherevealsintheoriginalrealitythatitmay betrueasshewasinstitutionalisedaftershesawherfirstvampirerationalisingshemayneverhaveleft.The delusionalworldhasbothherparentsaliveandtogetherunalteredbyeventsrepresentingapsychological regression.Bothrealitiesappearcompletelyplausible,inaparadoxofsorts.Sheoptsforthedelusionalworld astheoriginalisfullofpainandgrief,untilhermothertellshersheisstrongerandcanfaceitwhich inadvertentlybringsherbacktoherownreality,herlastsceneshowsherstillalsointhedelusionalworldina vegetativestate. ChristopherNolan'smovieInceptiondealswiththefictionalscienceofshareddreaming.Thecharactersenter others'minds,tostealideas,orintherarecaseofinceptionitself,plantthemwhilethetargetisunawarethey aredreaming.Onceinadream,thecharacterscanenterotherlayersordreamswithindreams.Inthemovie, characterscandistinguishadreambyusingtotemswhichareuniqueitemsweightedorotherwise distinguishabletohelptheuserdeterminereality.Intheend,thefilmleavesopenthequestionofwhetherthe protagonistishimselfdreaming. FilmssuchasTotalRecallandBladeRunner,whicharebothbasedonstoriesbyPhilipK.Dick,alsohinge upontheideathatwhatyourememberandperceiveisnotalwaysreal. MetalGearSolid2:SonsofLibertygreatlyexplorestheprotagonistRaiden's(andbyextension,theplayer's) diminishedsenseofreality,andthatwhatyouperceivemaynotbewhatistrulyreality. TedDekker'sCircleSeriesprotagonistwakesupinanalternaterealityeverytimehegoestosleep. IntheninthepisodeofthefourthseriesofthesciencefictiontelevisionseriesDoctorWho,"Forestofthe Dead",theDoctor'scompanionDonnais"saved"intotheLibrary'shardriveandbeginstoliveoutan imaginaryandfakereality,sheisoblivioustotherealitysheislivinginanillusion,untiladisfiguredwoman whohadbeenkilledinthe'real'worldandrespectivelysubmittedintothehardriveconvincesherthatherlife isnotreal.

Seealso

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Consensusreality Evildemon Falseawakening Maya(illusion) Metauniverse RealityinBuddhism Simulatedreality Socialsimulation Solipsism

Notes
1. ^ , ,12. Zhungzi,"Discussiononmakingallthingsequal,"12. fromZhungzi,BurtonWatsontrans., ChuangTzu(NewYork:ColumbiaUniversityPress,1996),43.ISBN9780231105958[1] (http://books.google.com/books?id=f1BvUUUVRLEC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA43#v=onepage&q&f=false) 2. ^ChgyalNamkhaiNorbu DreamYogaAndThePracticeOfNaturalLightEditedandintroducedbyMichael Katz,SnowLionPublications,Ithaca,NY,ISBN1559390077,pp.42,46,48,96,105. 3. ^ JosephBarbera,HenryMoller,Dreaming,VirtualReality,andPresence(http://books.google.com/books? hl=en&lr=&id=bttg3B5CZOIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA96&dq=dreaming+simulated+reality&ots=iPQG evOVr&sig=_7NT_42ES4XXK8iXz02Necg5W9c#PPA103,M1). 4. ^ GiulianaA.L.MazzoniandElizabethF.Loftus,WhenDreamsBecomeReality (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WD045MGTWX N&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion= 0&_userid=10&md5=23fdaaef820b1ccd4be0982568286789). 5. ^RenDescartes,MeditationsonFirstPhilosophy(http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/pdfbits/dm1.pdf).

References
Ballantyne,NathanEvans,Ian(2010)."Sosa'sDream"(http://iancevans.com/articles/SosaDream.pdf). PhilosophicalStudies148(2):249252.doi:10.1007/s110980089309y (http://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs110980089309y). Ichikawa,Jonathan(2008)."SkepticismandtheImaginationModelofDreaming".ThePhilosophical Quarterly58(232):519527.doi:10.1111/j.14679213.2007.546.x (http://dx.doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.14679213.2007.546.x). Sosa,Ernest(2007).AVirtueEpistemology:AptBeliefandReflectiveKnowledge.NewYork:Oxford UniversityPress.ISBN9780199297023. Stone,Jim(1984)."DreamingandCertainty".PhilosophicalStudies45(3):353368. doi:10.1007/BF00355443(http://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2FBF00355443). Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dream_argument&oldid=580284652" Categories: Epistemology Sciencefictionthemes Internalismandexternalism Argumentsinphilosophyofmind Reality Skepticism Thispagewaslastmodifiedon5November2013at10:39.

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