Perception versus Reality. The Human Inability to See the Truth (PDF)

Essay from the year 2020 in the subject Philosophy - Theoretical (Realisation, Science, Logic, Language), grade: 100, American Public University System, language: English, abstract: Whether or not humans have the capacity to objectively comprehend the cosmos is a discomforting topic; however, it is an important cosmological question that needs answered if scientists want to build the most accurate and honest concept of the universe. This paper examines this question and attempts to gain a better understanding of the perceptive capabilities of humans and their relation to external reality.

Using an interdisciplinary literature review approach, the research highlights various branches of science in order to examine the limits of human perception and cognition. The scientists consulted include Eagleman, who presents the concept that experienced reality is a construct created by the brain; Hoffman, with his insistence that evolution shaped people to perceive and seek fitness points rather than truth; and multiple physicists including Barbour, Greene, Planck, and Tyson, each of whom tackle the subject of cosmology from a unique perspective.

Although it cannot be declared with complete certainty, the chances of humans perceiving external reality as it truly exists are extremely low. As with other lifeforms, Homo sapiens evolved to adapt to their environment and lifestyle according to their surrounding resources, and, as such, their perception is designed for survival rather than absolute truth. The physicists disagree in some fashions, such as in the argument of the existence of time and where physics is heading in the future. However, they each agree on one point-we do not, and may never, know the true nature of the cosmos.