Reality: A Very Short Introduction [Paperback]

'What is real?' has been one of the key questions of philosophy since its beginning in antiquity. But it is not just a question that philosophers ask. ThisVery Short Introductiondiscusses what reality is by looking at a variety of arguments, theories, and thought-experiments from philosophy, physics, and cognitive science.Is matter real? Are persons real? Is time real? ThisVery Short Introductiondiscusses what, if anything, is real by looking at a variety of arguments from philosophy, physics, and cognitive science. Jan Westerhoff shows that the question what is real? is not some esoteric puzzle that only philosophers ponder. Scientists also ask this question when they investigate whether candidates for the fundamental constituents of matter are actually out there or just a mere abstraction from a successful theory and cognitive scientists ask it when trying to find out which set of the bewildering array of data processed by our brain could constitute the basis for the self.Introduction1. What is real? Dreams and simulations2. Is matter real?3. Are persons real?4. Is time real?ConclusionReferences and Further ReadingJan Westerhoffis Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Durham.