The Beetle and the Beer Bottle: A Lesson in How We Perceive Reality
Does consciousness cause matter? Does changing our perspective change reality itself? These are some of the densest and most fascinating questions we can ask. Reflecting on the work of thinkers like Donald Hoffman and Ken Wilber, I've been exploring these concepts and what they mean for how we understand our place in the universe.
Does Consciousness Cause Matter?
In his TED Talk, Donald Hoffman explains that we "construct" our reality, and that what we perceive is dependent on information we receive from both the outside-in and the inside-out. This leads to the idea that there would be no matter without consciousness, because consciousness is what creates our perceptions of reality.
While it's a difficult concept to give a definitive answer to, my own feeling is that consciousness influences but doesn't necessarily cause matter. It shapes our experience of the world, but it might not be the source of the world itself.
Does Observation Change the Nature of Reality?
This leads to the next big question: if we observe reality differently, does reality itself change? Reflecting on this, I would say no.
Ken Wilber explains that our perceptions are often distorted by unconscious conceptions, like language. He notes that we "unknowingly project the linguistic patterns... upon the universe, and see them there". The words and meanings we use influence how we see reality. But does that change reality's fundamental nature?
A quirky but powerful example from Donald Hoffman's talk helps clarify this. He tells the story of the Australian Jewel Beetle, which in its attempts to find a mate, mistook a brown, dimpled beer bottle for a female beetle. The beetle's distorted observation, however, didn't change the nature of the bottle; it was still a bottle.
This story suggests that reality is "out there" and static, and that our task is to learn how to see it accurately. Changing our perspective changes our experience of reality, but it doesn't change reality itself.
