Reality explores one of philosophy's oldest and most persistent questions: what do we actually mean when we speak about reality?
Rather than searching for an ultimate foundation behind experience, the book investigates how different conceptions of reality emerge and why they appear so convincing to those who inhabit them. Scientific realism, phenomenology, non-duality, idealism, materialism and everyday common sense are approached not as competing claims to absolute truth, but as different ways in which reality can be organised and understood.
Using the Dioramic Approach, Ton Haarmans examines how attention, language, memory, embodiment and culture shape what comes to feel unquestionably real. The emphasis shifts from deciding which worldview is correct to understanding how realities emerge, stabilise and sometimes transform.
Reality invites readers to loosen their attachment to familiar certainties without abandoning careful inquiry. It is an exploration of reality that leaves room for both scientific investigation and philosophical wonder, while recognising that every description of reality is itself part of the reality it seeks to describe.
Download a Dutch translation on the [[/content/resources/downloads|download page]] of this project or order a printed English version from Amazon.
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