• Question: Is it possible that we are in someones dream at the moment???

    Asked by bangfizz101 to Damien, Suzi, Tim on 23 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Suzi Gage

      Suzi Gage answered on 23 Jun 2011:

      Hi @bangfizz101

      It’s possible that someone is dreaming about you, but it’s not YOU in their dream, it’s their mental representation of you – it’s who they think you are, rather than you yourself. Also, often people in dreams don’t do or say things that either they would do, or that the person who’s dreaming thinks they would do.

      Dreams are strange things! There have been a lot of questions about them – have a look here:
      /brainj11-zone/search/dreams

      Hope this helps!

    • Photo: Tim Fosker

      Tim Fosker answered on 23 Jun 2011:

      Hi @bangfizz101

      Do you mean is it possible that we are all part of someone’s imagination? If so, there is a related philosophical question that lots of philosophers have posed. It is called the “Brain in a vat” question. The question is ‘how would you know if you were a brain in a jar or not”? When we dream it seems real at the time, so a brain in a jar could be given the same impulses (neurons firing) that you get in real life – then how would we know we were in a real world and not in a jar! It is a bit like the matrix – how would you know if you were in the matrix or not?

      It is not really a question that necessarily has an answer – it is just a ‘thought experiment’ which is meant to get people thinking.

      I don’t think I’m brain in a jar, what about you? 🙂

Comments