Naive Realism and how to break out of it.

If you believe that your perceptions and beliefs about the world are accurate and unbiased, then you’re a na?ve realist.

That means that if you don’t question what any of us thinks we know about the world around us, then you stand behind this philosophy. It is also known as common sense realism or direct realism.

This is the philosophy that says we see things as they truly are and any other view is just na?ve.

I personally believe it is one of the most dangerous worldviews there is. The reason behind it being so dangerous is because it underpins so many false beliefs about ourselves , our world and the people around us.

There are three things that this philosophy doesn’t take into consideration, however.

1) That there is a difference between what your senses perceive and what you believe they perceive.

2). That the brain takes in information through perception.

3) that what we see isn’t the only thing that’s happening.

For example, you might see a person smiling and think “they must be happy!” But then you also their hands in their pockets which leads you to believe they're cold or maybe sad. That's because we expect what our senses tell us to reflect reality as it is.

But here's the problem: You can never know for sure whether or not what you see reflects reality as it is.

Your senses might be deceiving you and your brain could be editing out certain things, like how cold it really is if the person in question is wearing a winter coat.

Also, what we didn’t take into consideration is that what you see isn't all that's happening. For instance, imagine the person with their hands in their pockets is also wearing earbuds and listening to music.

So not only are they looking cold, sad and lonely but they're having a good time too! Which means things aren’t always what they seem.

Another reason why this philosophy is dangerous is because it reinforces bias and prejudice. When I think about how much I know about the world around me, I’m not thinking about how little our senses can actually see.

I'm not thinking about how much of what we ‘know’ comes from the context we grew up in and I’m certainly not thinking about how much information is edited out or left out by our brains.

So when you think you know a person, but then take into consideration what you really don’t know about them, it becomes a lot harder to be judgemental or biased towards that person.

We all know that we're not the only ones who "know things" and think about the world in a certain way. But have you ever stopped to think about how biased you are towards other people's views?

Let’s say someone told you they don't believe in global warming, does this make them stupid or ignorant? Well, if you're relying on your senses alone to be accurate then yes it does.

But here's the thing: Just because you believe in global warming doesn't make you right about everything!

Which is where I suppose this philosophy falls short. It may provide a good foundation for many things, but it makes us unable to differentiate between the information we perceive and the information that's actually true.

So if you're still a believer in this philosophy, then I suggest to take it down a notch and be more open-minded about other people’s views and stop thinking your own is absolute.

Oh, and always remember: You could be wrong!

Here are a few tips that can help you break of naive realism.

1. If you want to keep an open mind and see things in a new light, then surround yourself with people who believe differently than you.

2. Be willing to give up some of your beliefs if it means you're going to learn something new and interesting about the world around you.

3. A lot of our perspectives are shaped by the culture we grew up in and what we learned while growing up.

4. You can’t always rely on your senses to be an accurate depiction of reality, so take them with a grain of salt.

5. Try not to jump to conclusions about people or things you don’t understand because they might surprise you.

6. When you think of your own views, always remember that they can't be perfect or absolute.

7. Always try to question the information that you receive rather than just taking it at face value.

8. Remember that if someone is wrong about something, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are right!

Now go out and enjoy the world around you!