Can an Eye See Itself? The Limits of a Measurement-Only Reality

I was reflecting recently on the Western scientific principle that the "laws of nature are to be discovered by measurement," and that anything which cannot be measured and verified is considered "unreal." This dualistic understanding of reality has always felt limiting to me, and it’s a key reason why concepts like spirituality are often dismissed as phony.

A passage from philosopher Ken Wilber’s work really helped me put this limitation into words.

The Knower and the Known

Wilber highlights the fundamental problem of trying to objectively measure a universe that we are fundamentally a part of. He writes:

"...our innermost consciousness, as knower and investigator of the external world, ultimately escapes its own grasp and remains as the unknown... much as your hand can grasp numerous objects but never itself, or your eye can see the world but not itself... So just as a knife cannot cut itself, the universe cannot totally see itself as an object without totally mutilating itself."

This metaphor is so powerful. It illustrates that the observer is not separate from their environment. We cannot stand outside of reality to measure it without impacting it, because we are it. We are one.

The Problem with the Split

This runs counter to the dualistic way of thinking that has dominated Western thought for centuries, most famously articulated in Descartes' mind-body split—the idea that the mind (non-physical) is separate from the body (physical).

When we insist that only the measurable is real, we create a world where the non-physical—consciousness, spirituality, our deep connection to the environment—is seen as less valid or even non-existent. This way of knowing limits our ability to understand the world and, more importantly, our true, interconnected place within it.