Reality tunnel is a term coined by
Timothy LearyDr. Timothy Francis Leary was an American writer, psychologist, futurist, advocate of psychedelic drug research, and one of the first people whose remains have been sent into space. An icon of 1960s counterculture, Leary is most famous as a proponent of the therapeutic, spiritual and emotional...
and popularised by
Robert Anton WilsonRobert Anton Wilson became, at various times, an American novelist, essayist, philosopher, polymath, psychonaut, futurist, libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
, akin to the idea of
representative realismRepresentational realism, related to indirect realism, is a philosophical concept, broadly equivalent to the accepted view of perception in natural science. Unfortunately, the meaning of the theory is dependent on the user's pre-interpretation of words like 'perceive', 'reality' etc...
.
The theory states that, with a subconscious set of mental "filters" formed from their
beliefBelief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.- Belief, knowledge and epistemology :The terms belief and knowledge are used differently in philosophy....
s and experiences, every individual interprets this same world differently, hence "
TruthTruth can have a variety of meanings, from the state of being the case, being in accord with a particular fact or reality, being in accord with the body of real things, events, actuality, or fidelity to an original or to a standard. In archaic usage it could be fidelity, constancy or sincerity in...
is in the eye of the beholder".
Every kind of ignorance in the world all results from not realizing that our perceptions are gambles.
Reality tunnel is a term coined by
Timothy LearyDr. Timothy Francis Leary was an American writer, psychologist, futurist, advocate of psychedelic drug research, and one of the first people whose remains have been sent into space. An icon of 1960s counterculture, Leary is most famous as a proponent of the therapeutic, spiritual and emotional...
and popularised by
Robert Anton WilsonRobert Anton Wilson became, at various times, an American novelist, essayist, philosopher, polymath, psychonaut, futurist, libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
, akin to the idea of
representative realismRepresentational realism, related to indirect realism, is a philosophical concept, broadly equivalent to the accepted view of perception in natural science. Unfortunately, the meaning of the theory is dependent on the user's pre-interpretation of words like 'perceive', 'reality' etc...
.
The theory states that, with a subconscious set of mental "filters" formed from their
beliefBelief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.- Belief, knowledge and epistemology :The terms belief and knowledge are used differently in philosophy....
s and experiences, every individual interprets this same world differently, hence "
TruthTruth can have a variety of meanings, from the state of being the case, being in accord with a particular fact or reality, being in accord with the body of real things, events, actuality, or fidelity to an original or to a standard. In archaic usage it could be fidelity, constancy or sincerity in...
is in the eye of the beholder".
Considerations
Every kind of ignorance in the world all results from not realizing that our perceptions are gambles. We believe what we see and then we believe our interpretation of it, we don't even know we are making an interpretation most of the time. We think this is reality. — Robert Anton Wilson
The idea does not necessarily imply that there is no objective truth; rather that our access to it is mediated through our senses, experience,
conditioningConditioning may refer to:* In probability theory, the use of conditional probabilities, expectations and distributions; see conditioning * In mathematics, the property of a matrix as "well-conditioned" or "ill-conditioned"; see condition number...
, prior beliefs, and other non-objective factors. The individual world each person occupies is said to be their reality tunnel. The term can also apply to groups of people united by beliefs: we can speak of the fundamentalist Christian reality tunnel or the
scientific materialistScientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific...
reality tunnel.
A parallel can be seen in the psychological concept of
confirmation biasConfirmation bias is an irrational tendency to search for, interpret or remember information in a way that confirms preconceptions or working hypotheses. It is a type of cognitive bias and a systematic error of inductive reasoning...
- our tendency to notice and assign significance to observations that confirm our beliefs, while filtering out or rationalizing away observations that do not fit with our prior beliefs and expectations. This helps to explain why reality tunnels are usually transparent to their inhabitants. While it seems most people take their beliefs to correspond to the "one true objective reality," Robert Anton Wilson emphasizes that each person's reality tunnel is their own artistic creation, whether they realize it or not.
It is believed that through various techniques one can break down old reality tunnels and impose new reality tunnels by removing old filters and replacing them with new ones, new perspectives on reality - at will. This is achieved through various processes of deprogramming using
neuro-linguistic programmingNeuro-linguistic programming is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "a model of interpersonal communication chiefly concerned with the relationship between successful patterns of behaviour and the subjective experiences Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is defined in the Oxford English...
,
cyberneticsCybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to control theory and systems theory...
,
hypnosisHypnosis is a mental state or set of attitudes usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. Hypnotic suggestions may be delivered by a hypnotist in the presence of the subject, or may be...
,
biofeedbackBiofeedback is a non-medical process that involves measuring a subject's specific and quantifiable bodily functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, sweat gland activity, and muscle tension, conveying the information to the patient in real-time...
devices,
meditationMeditation is used here as a broad term for practices done by a sole practitioner without much, if any, external aide, often for the purpose of self-transformation...
, controlled use of hallucinogens, and forcibly acting out other reality tunnels. Thus, it is believed one's reality tunnel can be widened to take full advantage of human potential and experience reality on more positive levels. Robert Anton Wilson's
Prometheus RisingPrometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson is a guide book of "how to get from here to there", an amalgam of Timothy Leary's 8-circuit model of consciousness, Gurdjieff's self-observation exercises, Alfred Korzybski's general semantics, Aleister Crowley's magical theorems, Sociobiology, Yoga,...
is (among other things) a guidebook to the exploration of various reality tunnels.
Similar ideas
We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. — Anais Nin
Harvard sociologist
Talcott ParsonsTalcott Parsons was an American sociologist who served on the faculty of Harvard University from 1927–1973.Parsons developed a general theory for the study of society called action theory, based on the methodological principle of voluntarism and the epistemological principle of analytical...
used the word
gloss to describe how mind perceives reality. We are taught, he theorised, how to "put the world together" by others who subscribe to a
consensus realityConsensus reality is an approach to answering the question "What is real?", a philosophical question, with answers dating back millennia; it is almost invariably used to refer to human consensus reality, though there have been mentions of feline and canine consensus reality...
. "The curious world of Talcott Parsons was where society was a system, comprised of interactive subsystems adhering to a certain set of unwritten rules."
The
memeA meme is a postulated unit or element of cultural ideas, symbols or practices, and is transmitted from one mind to another through speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena...
is another source of
gloss; it is "transmitted from one mind to another through speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena." Because we're social creatures, there are reasons for us to adopt some
social currenciesSocial currency is information shared which encourages further social encounters. It can be a factor in establishing fans of sports or television programmes. As well as talking about sports, attendance at sports events themselves is a form of social currency. Young men in particular feel the...
.
In line with
KantianImmanuel Kant was an 18th-century German philosopher from the Prussian city of Königsberg...
thought, as well as the work of
Norwood Russell HansonNorwood Russell Hanson was a philosopher of science. Hanson was a pioneer in advancing the argument that observation is theory laden – that observation language and theory language are deeply interwoven – and that historical and contemporary comprehension are similarly deeply interwoven...
, studies have indeed shown
that our brains "filter" the data coming from our senses. This "filtering" is largely unconscious and may be influenced – more-or-less in many ways, in societies and in individuals – by biology, cultural constructs including education and language (such as memes), life experiences, preferences and mental state, belief systems (e.g.
World viewA comprehensive world view is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing natural philosophy, fundamental existential and normative postulates or themes, values, emotions, and ethics. The term is a loan translation or calque of German Weltanschauung , composed of...
, the
Stock MarketA stock market is a public market for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately....
), momentary needs, pathology, etc.
Sometimes termed 'cognitive economy', sensory filtering is not hard to understand. Consider, as Kant did, the many sensations competing for our conscious attention. Consider our historical mandate to sort out which sensations are important in order to survive and meet our basic needs. No good looking at flowers while the tiger approaches. An everyday example of such filtering is our ability to follow a conversation, or read, without being distracted by surrounding conversations... once called the
cocktail party effectThe cocktail party effect describes the ability to focus one's listening attention on a single talker among a mixture of conversations and background noises, ignoring other conversations...
.
In his 1986 book
Waking Up,
Charles TartDr. Charles T. Tart is a American psychologist and parapsychologist known for his psychological work on the nature of consciousness , as one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology, and for his research in scientific parapsychology. He earned his Ph. D...
— a
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychologistA psychologist is someone who studies the human mind and behavior. Research psychologists study human perception, cognition, attention, emotion, motivation, personality, behavior and interpersonal relationships...
and parapsychologist known for his psychological work on the nature of consciousness — introduced the phrase "consensus trance" to the lexicon. Tart likened normal waking consciousness to hypnotic trance. He discussed how each of us is from birth inducted to the trance of the society around us. Tart noted both similarities and differences between hypnotic trance induction and consensus trance induction. (See
G. I. GurdjieffGeorge Ivanovich Gurdjieff ; January 13, 1866? – October 29, 1949), was a Greek-Armenian mystic and spiritual teacher. He called his discipline "The Work" , or as he first referred to it, the Fourth Way.At one point he described his teaching as "esoteric Christianity".At...
).
Some disciplines –
ZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, translated from the Chinese word Chán. This word is in turn derived from the Sanskrit dhyāna, which means "meditation" ....
for example, and monastic schools such as
SufismSufism or ' , also spelled as tasavvuf and tasavvof, is generally understood to be the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a ' , though some adherents of the tradition reserve this term only for those practitioners who have attained the goals...
– seek to overcome such conditioned realities by returning to less thoughtful and channeled states of mind.
ConstructivismConstructivism in Psychology concerns the world of constructivist psychologies. The constructivist psychologies theorize about and investigate how human beings create systems for meaningfully understanding their worlds and experiences...
is a modern psychological response to reality-tunneling.
For Wilson, a fully functioning human ought to be able to be aware of his or her reality tunnel, and able to keep it flexible enough to accomodate, and to some degree empathize with, different reality tunnels, different "game rules", different cultures.... Constructivist thinking is the exercise of metacognition to become aware of our reality tunnels or labyrinths and the elements that "program" them. Constructivist thinking should, ideally, decrease the chance that we will confuse our map of the world with the actual world.... [This philosophy] is currently expressed in many Eastern consciousness-exploration techniques.
Further reading
- Thomas Metzinger
Thomas Metzinger is a German philosopher. He currently holds the position of director of the theoretical philosophy group at the department of philosophy at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz and is an Adjunct Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies...
, The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self. Basic Books, 2009, 288pp. ISBN 0465045677.
- P. D. Ouspensky
Peter D. Ouspensky , , a Russian philosopher, invoked euclidean and noneuclidean geometry in his discussions of psychology and higher dimensions of existence.Ouspensky has a reputation for his expositions of the early work of the Greek-Armenian teacher of esoteric doctrine George...
, The Fourth WayThe Fourth Way is a book about the Fourth Way of Self-development as suggested by Greek-Armenian philosopher G.I. Gurdjieff and is a verbatim compilation of the lectures of P. D. Ouspensky at London and New York, 1921-1946, published posthumously by his students in 1957. Since Ouspensky appears as...
: A Record of Talks and Answers to Questions Based on the Teaching of G. I. Gurdjieff. (Prepared under the general supervision of Sophia Ouspensky). New York: Knopf, 1957; London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1957.
See also
- 8-Circuit Model of Consciousness
The 8-Circuit Model of Consciousness is a theory about the levels of consciousness first proposed by psychologist Timothy Leary. It models the mind as a collection of 8 "circuits", with each circuit representing a higher stage of evolution than the one before it.Leary constructed the model based on...
- Altered state of consciousness
An altered state of consciousness, , also named altered state of mind is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking beta wave state. The expression was used as early as 1969 by Charles Tart and describes induced changes in one's mental state, almost always temporary...
- Collective consciousness
Collective consciousness refers to the shared beliefs and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society. This term was used by the French social theorist Émile Durkheim in his books The Division of Labour , The Rules of Sociological Method , Suicide , and The Elementary Forms of...
- Collective unconscious
Collective unconscious, sometimes known as collective subconscious, is a term of analytical psychology, coined by Carl Jung. It is a part of the unconscious mind, shared by a society, humanity and all life forms, that is the product of ancestral experience and contains such concepts as science,...
- Consensus reality
Consensus reality is an approach to answering the question "What is real?", a philosophical question, with answers dating back millennia; it is almost invariably used to refer to human consensus reality, though there have been mentions of feline and canine consensus reality...
- Cosmic consciousness
Cosmic consciousness is the concept that the universe exists as an interconnected network of consciousness, with each conscious being linked to every other to form a collective consciousness which spans the cosmos. Throughout history, there have been many renditions of universal unity,...
- Paradigm
The word paradigm has been used in linguistics and science to describe distinct concepts....
- Schema (psychology)
A schema , in psychology and cognitive science, is a mental structure that represents some aspect of the world. Schemata were initially introduced into psychology and education through the work of the British psychologist Sir Frederic Bartlett...
- Social constructionism
Social constructionism and social constructivism are sociological theories of knowledge that consider how social phenomena develop in social contexts...
- Self-concept
Self-concept or self identity refers to the global understanding as well as the world around us and a sentient being has of him or herself. It presupposes but can be distinguished from self-consciousness, which is simply an awareness of one's self...
- Umwelt
According to Jakob von Uexküll and Thomas A. Sebeok, umwelt is the "biological foundations that lie at the very epicenter of the study of both communication and signification in the human [and non-human] animal." The term is usually translated as "self-centered world"...
- World view
A comprehensive world view is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing natural philosophy, fundamental existential and normative postulates or themes, values, emotions, and ethics. The term is a loan translation or calque of German Weltanschauung , composed of...
External links