This is a good introduction to a complex topic. I recommend the work of Humberto Maturana on this topic. He shows why this is important to how we live our lives in relationship to one another as we enact our worlds in language.

Amplify’d from www.npr.org

Reality Is What Our Minds Make Of It

Because observation gives our world structure, our brains define the reality we perceive. Read more at www.npr.org

I have always been taken by this quote by Neils Bohr
"We are suspended in language in such a way that we cannot say what is up and what is down. The word "reality" is also a word, a word which we must learn to use correctly" This article from the 13.7 blog at NPR.org speaks to the limits of knowing (for today anyway)

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Our Many-Layered Reality: How Far Can We Go?

For centuries, the dream of scientists, at least many of them, has been to attain complete knowledge of the world, to make science the banner through which human reason shined in all its glory. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could describe all there is to describe, if we could predict the future in all detail? Science as the ultimate oracle…how ironic is that? This would be the dreadful reality of the clockwork universe, where strict deterministic laws would describe every mechanism, and Nature’s mysteries would all lie out in the open.

Read more at www.npr.org See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/enb3 via Amplify.com

 

In a way not surprising when you consider the Buddhist thinking on maya.

The Buddha Imagines The Unimaginable (And Gets It Right!) via NPR

One of the champions of small-scale thinking turns out to be, of all people, the Buddha!   

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/cysf

This story demonstrates how "value" is loosely connected to money. The perception of a stable economy creates a stable economy.

Amplify’d from www.npr.org

This is a story about how an economist and his buddies tricked the people of Brazil into saving the country from rampant inflation. They had a crazy, unlikely plan, and it worked. Read more at www.npr.org

Does that sound odd? Think about a good course learning objective. It should describe what the person can DO as a result of the training. But wait.. what about "knowledge"? Well how is knowledge demonstrated? Do a thought experiment. How do you assess that someone "knows" something? Then turn the experiment around, How do you "know" that you "know" something?

Amplify’d from thisisnotthat.com

We actually do what we know.     In other words, shouldn't we apply what we call knowledge?. Shouldn't we act and behave in accordance with what we have learned about ourselves and how our world works?     The world in which we live is a world of differences. Of course it's also important to recognize similarities — that's the basis for our human capabilities to create and manipulate symbols for language and thinking. When we ignorantly or intentionally disregard differences, we don't behave in accordance with what we know. Troubles inevitably follow.     Therefore this human capability to critically differentiate, or discern, between this and that provides a foundation for our individual, and collective, humanness.     I advocate teaching and applying an informed world view deliberately derived from what we currently understand about ourselves and our world ... without deference to dogmas, traditions, or what passes for culturally-dependent "common sense." With over 150 video clips and dozens of demonstrations, exercises, and explanations, I hope you'll find something of value to learn, practice, and teach. I'm also pleased to offer, through a partnership with MindEdge, Inc., effective, affordable, and engaging online courses for individuals and organizations. Steve Stockdale Read more at thisisnotthat.com