EBOOK Reality: A Very Short Introduction

'What is real?' has been one of the key questions of philosophy since its        beginning in antiquity. It is a question that, due to such films as The Matrix, has        also made its way into popular culture. But it is not just a question philosophers        ask. It is also asked by scientists when they investigate whether the fundamental        constituents of matter are actually 'out there' or just a mere abstraction from a        successful theory. Cognitive scientists ask it when trying to find outwhich set of        the bewildering array of data processed by our brain could constitute the basis for        such supposedly fundamental entities like the free agent or the self.This Very Short        Introduction discusses what reality is by looking at a variety of arguments,        theories and thought-experiments from philosophy, physics, and cognitive        science.