Reality: Defined

(And the Platonic Method Too)

Simply put, reality is what exists. We can define reality in a number of ways: through our perceptions, through our beliefs, or through scientific descriptions, just to name a few. But how can we really KNOW what reality is? In fact, if we're unsure about reality itself, how can we know anything at all, with any kind of certainty?

Plato helps us answer the last question. He once pondered an argument made by another philosopher, Protagoras, who said that every person's opinion is just as valid as any other person's. Plato used this exact argument against Protagoras, by pointing out that if someone thought Protagoras's opinion invalid, that person would have a valid opinion.

Plato's impact, with this one statement, goes far beyond mere concerns of the validity of Protagoras's opinion. This same argument can be used as a litmus test for logic. It shows us that an absurd paradox is always wrong.

Can we know anything with absolute certainty? There are only two possible answers: yes and no. If we say 'no', then we are saying that we cannot know anything. If that is true, how could we know that? We would have to know something, if we knew we could not know anything. The very thought is an absurdity. Thus, the answer must be yes - and we can know that for certain.

As to reality, though, we have to delve a bit deeper.

Descartes, the famous renaissance philosopher who brought us Cartesian Curves, is best known for uttering the phrase, "I think, therefore I am." He wondered whether he could determine if he existed. If, he reasoned, reality were an illusion, then how could he draw any sort of conclusion about reality, or even himself, without being tricked by the illusion?

To resolve the matter, he applied the Platonic Method, and built a paradox to test out some possibilities. He eventually refined his thoughts to a single question: "Do I exist?"

Again, there are only two answers. If Descartes answered "no", then how could he have posed the question? Since "no" created a paradox, then "yes" must be the correct answer. Whether reality is an illusion or not, Descartes proved his own existence, through logic alone.