thought experiments lain - Discussion:02 REAL WORLD

[heart havok]

i personally found the site "thought experiments lain" definitely full of the most well researched theories of Serial Experiments Lain so i decided to create threads discussing Lawrence Eng's wonderfull descriptions on different topics. i would add my opinions, but there's not much for me to add seeing as he himself has pin-pointed my own personal theories on the series to almost perfection. where i disagree i will make note, and i will add additional opinions as time goes on.

Originally written by Lawrence Eng (http://www.cjas.org/~leng/lain.htm)

Real World

Everyday human existence.

Interpretation:

A consensual hallucination. We all agree (more or less) to share (more or less) the hallucination that is Real World. Meaning, how much each person agrees to hallucinate Real World will vary, and furthermore, each person's hallucination will vary (more or less) from the statistical average "consensus Real World."

[Drizzten]

Though I agree with the consensual part, I can't quite agre with the hallucination part. A hallucination implies one has lost touch with Reality, which is what truely IS. Since he defines the Real World as a halluncination, there must be something else. Does Lawrence define what he thinks this hallucination is deviating from?

[heart havok]

i can't say i recall Lawrence himself giving his own definition of what he believes the hallucination is... caused, created, or influenced by.

but i personally believe that everything we call the "real" world or "reality" is mere hallucination because there is no such thing as "truly IS"... sure, everyone can have their own opinions on what "truly IS" but i've no more proof to believe that my conscious is reality any more than i do to believe my subconscious is the reality.

everything is a hallucination distorted to be known as "truly IS" simply because of senses. but the senses are simply false devices created by the subconscious so that the conscious has its "proof" of its own state of "self" awareness, ne?

[Larva]

I had a huge reply typed up but trashed it because it can be summed up in a short statement/question.

If the insane were the majority and the sane were the minority, wouldn't things be reversed?

[heart havok]

or rather: the insane ARE the majority and the sane ARE the minority.

[Larva]

Ah good thought. I belive that would hold up as a theory to the process of lain more than our 'real world'. It would also explain a great many things ;).

[Daedelus]

Reality by popular vote... I have pondered this pretty often. But when you get right down to it does it matter? Even if that is how reality is defined then reality is still the way it is percieved. How you get to that point really doesn't matter. It's like the question of what existed before the big bang? Since it can't be observed and really has no bearing on the present world it is a non factor.

There are always small variences like color blindness and hearing loss. We can only percieve reality with our five senses and any variation alters the observable reality. When a person disagrees with enough reality they are labeled insane. They are the minority and therefore the losers.

As aplies to Lain I see this as the worlds general agreement that the wired is a real world and can effect and shapethe real world. We see this in one way with the Rumours episode. Enough people agree that something has a bearing so it does. Same goes with the idea of God needing worshipers to be a God. Which comes first the reality or is the reality only shaped later by interpretation?