The Case Against Reality

Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes

De: Donald Hoffman

Narrado por: Timothy Andrés Pabon

Can we trust our senses to tell us the truth?

Challenging leading scientific theories that claim that our senses report back objective reality, cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman argues that while we should take our perceptions seriously, we should not take them literally. How can it be possible that the world we see is not objective reality? And how can our senses be useful if they are not communicating the truth? Hoffman grapples with these questions and more over the course of this eye-opening work.

Ever since Homo sapiens has walked the earth, natural selection has favored perception that hides the truth and guides us toward useful action, shaping our senses to keep us alive and reproducing. We observe a speeding car and do not walk in front of it; we see mold growing on bread and do not eat it. These impressions, though, are not objective reality. Just like a file icon on a desktop screen is a useful symbol rather than a genuine representation of what a computer file looks like, the objects we see every day are merely icons, allowing us to navigate the world safely and with ease.

The real-world implications for this discovery are huge. From examining why fashion designers create clothes that give the illusion of a more “attractive” body shape to studying how companies use color to elicit specific emotions in consumers, and even dismantling the very notion that spacetime is objective reality, The Case Against Reality dares us to question everything we thought we knew about the world we see.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 by Donald Hoffman. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Accompanying PDF Is now Available!

I reported this issue to Audible and it was FIXED expeditiously and professionally. Listeners who totally missed the author's point because of the missing PDF can now go back and listen again to the referring sections. This author makes some very good points. It's well worth the listen!

“The accompanying pdf”

I like this book but the author has many references that would probably make this book a good bit easier to understand, but I listen to E-books while running or driving so this is not preferable to me. I really like the concept of this book, and books in this category. The beginning was a bit slow and somewhat redundant but it laid the foundations for understanding of the rest of the book pretty well so it’s all good. The middle/end of the book was great though and made it all worth the read!

Objective Reality May Be a Myth

So simple yet so profound. The author makes the case that what we call objective observation is in actual fact subjective. Each instance of measurement or observation creates it own subjective reality.

The theory goes like this. Imagine five people are looking at an apple. The apple can be said to exist objectively because it exists outside our personal experience. What the author explores is the possibility that each observation can be considered a separate personal experience and therefore subjective.

The premise is there is no such thing as an objective experience because each instance is processed subjectively, and collectively evolution has provided a distortion of reality that increases health and fitness at the cost of seeing a true representation of reality.

At first glance this may seem absurd. The book however, provides a convincing case, and we may need to accept that our senses may be catered to survivability and not to accuracy of what is real.

Recommended as an outside the box way of thinking.

Amazing Book

Donald Hoffman highlights details about human nature, evolution, and physics, to relay an absolutely stellar philosophy. This book changed my perception of reality.

A bold attempt towards a grander unification

Built a case against “reality” perceived through senses based on pure scientific evidences both old and hot off the press

Built a foundation for consciousness as the more fundamental reality then what is perceived by limited senses.

Resonated very well with the scientific 10th century texts on consciousness in Kashmir Shaivism. These texts could show a way forward for building the grand unification models

Paradox in everyday perception revealed.

Reality reconsidered: the interface theory of perception. No, Hoffman isn't fixated on the thing-in-itself, he's just using it to explain the cosmic giggle.

Consciousness is fundamental

The idea is that time space and everything in it is a projection of consciousness is inspiring. Enjoyed this!

Simple idea - overly (but entertainingly) explained

The idea is simple. You are not equipped to and therefore to unable to see reality. You see what is most functional for your survival.

I felt that the explanations were far to many for someone who has read much of the same before. However it was very well performed and I think that if you are just digging in this is highly recommended.

I expected to hear about guirks of human perception, but got so much more.

Yes, you’ll learn about what, how and why we perceive the world, but this book is so much more: „The Case Against Reality” goes into epistemological and onthological territory so deep and convincing, that I had to revise my views on myself and the world. Sometimes hard and complicated, it needs a lot of focus and attention on your part, but you’ll find out a great deal about evolution, quantum mechanics, the inner lives of famous thinkers and consciousness. No previous physics and philosophy training needed, although it casts a new light on the history of both. Oh, and Mr. Timothy Andrés Pabon does a great job interpreting it for audio. Truly amazing stuff.

Wow! Absolutey Beautiful a delight to listen

I've felt Quantum physics exposes the domain of our truer larger subjective reality for some time.
In this book you'll hear our subjective consciousness expressed in terms of physics, game theory icon metaphor, psychology and psycho analysis as it asserts consciousness is the most veridical perspective or best metaphor for understanding our realities, selves and God.

If sounds too complex or deep, reserve your judgement till hearing the last chapter.
At this point having listened to the first 5 chapters multiple times and hearing the last chapter (reconciling the realm of subjective religion and scientific method), I can hardly wait to get a hard copy to study in depth.