The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes
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- Create Date：2022-11-22 16:16:34
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Donald D. Hoffman
- ISBN：0393541487
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Summary
Challenging leading scientific theories that claim that our senses report back objective reality， cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman argues that while we should take our perceptions seriously， we should not take them literally。 From examining why fashion designers create clothes that give the illusion of a more “attractive” body shape to studying how companies use color to elicit specific emotions in consumers， and even dismantling the very notion that spacetime is objective reality， The Case Against Reality dares us to question everything we thought we knew about the world we see。
Reviews
Pierre
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Some of the book is reality bending， mind altering discoveries while other parts I was not sure why it was included
Ahmad
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Philosophically shallow。 Doesn’t address the problem of objective reality。 The fact that a certain type of honey tastes too sweet for one person and less sweet for another is probably due to the different perception tools （taste buds） that a person possesses。 The chemicals in the honey that make it sweet， are there and quantifiable， regardless of the taster。 The discussion on the measurement problem in quantum physics is not relevant here， or at least no extrapolations in the context of consciou Philosophically shallow。 Doesn’t address the problem of objective reality。 The fact that a certain type of honey tastes too sweet for one person and less sweet for another is probably due to the different perception tools （taste buds） that a person possesses。 The chemicals in the honey that make it sweet， are there and quantifiable， regardless of the taster。 The discussion on the measurement problem in quantum physics is not relevant here， or at least no extrapolations in the context of consciousness/biology were convincingly shown here。 。。。more
Felix Delong
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absolutely amazing
Sean Hannifin
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Interesting ideas， but it's one of those books that could've been an article; there's so much fluff and repetition stretching it out to 200 pages。 Just watch an interview with the author on YouTube。 Interesting ideas， but it's one of those books that could've been an article; there's so much fluff and repetition stretching it out to 200 pages。 Just watch an interview with the author on YouTube。 。。。more
Michiel Mennen
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This book is quite a rollercoaster， both in content and ideas， in complexity and in style。 Some parts are really interesting， well written and offer great and surprising insights into what reality actually is and isn't。 And then there are the parts that are downright impossible to follow because of the many ontological concepts getting thrown around。 This book is definitely not for the faint of heart or for the casual reader。 Would not recommend， even though the ideas really are quite riveting。 This book is quite a rollercoaster， both in content and ideas， in complexity and in style。 Some parts are really interesting， well written and offer great and surprising insights into what reality actually is and isn't。 And then there are the parts that are downright impossible to follow because of the many ontological concepts getting thrown around。 This book is definitely not for the faint of heart or for the casual reader。 Would not recommend， even though the ideas really are quite riveting。 。。。more
Keith Gibby
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Myopic and anachronistic。 The analogies in this book will be outdated in less than a decade。
Jim Heter
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A different look at the way the world works。Our minds don't show us reality。 They show us what we need to know to survive （and have children）。The weird book cover is a clue。 Behind the dots you can find a box。 But is the box tilted up， or down？ Or both？ Or neither？ Is the box there at all when you are not seeing it？Is the world there at all when you are not seeing it？What's up with that？Hoffman wants to know。 Maybe we should too。 A different look at the way the world works。Our minds don't show us reality。 They show us what we need to know to survive （and have children）。The weird book cover is a clue。 Behind the dots you can find a box。 But is the box tilted up， or down？ Or both？ Or neither？ Is the box there at all when you are not seeing it？Is the world there at all when you are not seeing it？What's up with that？Hoffman wants to know。 Maybe we should too。 。。。more
Sniglom
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Interesting theories， but not a great book。 I find it to be way too long and vague， it could probably be much shorter without losing accuracy。
Paññādhammika Bhikkhu
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Consciousness and name and form conditions each other。
Richard
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I mean this is very interesting but I have no idea。 I don't feel much is proved by this book。 But it can lead you down some mind-bending tunnels。 I mean this is very interesting but I have no idea。 I don't feel much is proved by this book。 But it can lead you down some mind-bending tunnels。 。。。more
Kugenthiran
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A thought provoking book
Abby
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fantastic argument。 it totally changed the way that i view the world。 got kinda boring partway through。 though i get that the copious amount of examples is necessary to convince those that might be more skeptical。 id love to read a book with a level of mathematical sophistication somewhere between that of this book and its appendix
Robert Johnston
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On first reading I was extremely impressed but I now think overly impressed。 The book is worth reading and has insights into the application of evolutionary game theory to perception mechanisms。 It provides good evidence that reality is not always as we perceive it。 That is not surprising or original but less dramatic than claiming a case against reality。
Amnon Shefi
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An excelent intriging concept & book。An excelent intriging concept， with a broad reference review。 While the case against reality is clearly presented in a plausible manner，discussion of conscience is less clear， and IS NOT necessary to prove the case against the limitations and flaws of space time based reality perception。A highly recommended book for novice to the idea。
Subhayan Mukerjee
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The book began with a bang， then whimpered along with a few flashes here and there， and ended with a fizz。 The ideas are great - especially ITP （Interface Theory of Perception） and the FBT （Fitness Beats Truth） Theorem - which constitute the two pillars of Hoffman's argument - that the reality we perceive isn't reality at all， but an interface that allows us to do things that enhances our chances of survival。 Humans （or any species for that matter）， Hoffman asserts， did not evolve to see reality The book began with a bang， then whimpered along with a few flashes here and there， and ended with a fizz。 The ideas are great - especially ITP （Interface Theory of Perception） and the FBT （Fitness Beats Truth） Theorem - which constitute the two pillars of Hoffman's argument - that the reality we perceive isn't reality at all， but an interface that allows us to do things that enhances our chances of survival。 Humans （or any species for that matter）， Hoffman asserts， did not evolve to see reality or understand the universe。 They simply evolved to maximize their chances of survival。 Doing this doesn't require you to "know" reality at all。My favourite thing in the book was the running metaphor of an icon of a file on your desktop。 The icon of a file you see on your desktop isn't the file。 In fact， we can't really ever see the real file （which in reality is a set of electric signals turning on and off）。 However， that icon of the file is useful。 It allows us to do things - for example， save a letter or a picture。 We won't delete the icon because that would make our life difficult。 Hoffman asserts that every single thing we perceive is really an icon of a thing that we do have neither the language nor the means to grasp or understand （to those familiar with Hindu philosophy， this would bear a strong resemblance to Advaita Vedanta and its central tenet of "Brahma-satyam jagat-mithya"）。My least favorite thing about the book is perhaps an artifact of the topic itself， that it doesn't lend itself to scientific falsification。 All the "evidence" in support of the theory is circumstantial， indirect， which would follow if the theory was true， no doubt， but they don't prove the theory （or at least refute its contrary）。That said， there are lots to learn from the book， including a very accessible introduction to the cutting edge in perception research， a thoroughly enjoyable confluence of quantum theory and evolutionary theory， and a well-timed nod to Wittgenstein （which is always very welcome）。 But at the end of the day， I wasn't sure if there was a definitive "Case Against Reality" in its pages， as the title had claimed。 。。。more
Giordano Margaglio
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I was brought to read this book after watching Hoffman's interview with ZDoggMD （which I strongly recommend: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=dd6CQ。。。）。 The theories Hoffman proposes are earth-shattering， they have the potential to define a new paradigm for our species and I'm surprised they are not more famous。Conscious realism is a major mind-fu** and yet incredibly simple and relatable。 I will not get into the details as it would take hours to explain how I feel about this theory， just watch t I was brought to read this book after watching Hoffman's interview with ZDoggMD （which I strongly recommend: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=dd6CQ。。。）。 The theories Hoffman proposes are earth-shattering， they have the potential to define a new paradigm for our species and I'm surprised they are not more famous。Conscious realism is a major mind-fu** and yet incredibly simple and relatable。 I will not get into the details as it would take hours to explain how I feel about this theory， just watch the videos/read the book and am eager to have night-long conversations about it。 I removed one star because the theory is only touched upon in the last chapter， everything prior is just a ladder to build up "the case against reality"。 That is cool， but I was hoping to get more of the juice。 Guess will have to wait for the sequel。 。。。more
Ricardo Vladimiro
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Eu não acabei de ler este livro e este resumo serve para explicar porquê a quem possa estar interessado no mesmo。 Estas são as ideias base do livro e as minhas observações sobre as mesmas:#1 A nossa percepção e a realidade são coisas diferentes。Embora seja difícil de aceitar e até de entender， isto deve ser evidente sem grande esforço。 Animais diferentes com sentidos diferentes têm percepções diferentes da realidade。 Até dentro da espécie humana temos pessoas com percepções diferentes da realida Eu não acabei de ler este livro e este resumo serve para explicar porquê a quem possa estar interessado no mesmo。 Estas são as ideias base do livro e as minhas observações sobre as mesmas:#1 A nossa percepção e a realidade são coisas diferentes。Embora seja difícil de aceitar e até de entender， isto deve ser evidente sem grande esforço。 Animais diferentes com sentidos diferentes têm percepções diferentes da realidade。 Até dentro da espécie humana temos pessoas com percepções diferentes da realidade。 Logo a nossa percepção pode ser a nossa realidade mas não é a realidade em si。#2 A nossa percepção foi afinada pela selecção natural para aumentar o nosso fit evolutivoQuase tudo em todas as espécies foi afinado pela selecção natural para aumentar o fit evolutivo， a nossa percepção não deverá ser diferente， ou pelo menos não existe nenhuma evidência que seja diferente。#3 Se a nossa percepção serve para aumentar o nosso fit， então a realidade que nós experienciamos não existe de todo a menos que seja observada por nós。Foi a partir do momento em que este ponto #3 se tornou o centro da discussão do livro que eu perdi o interesse。 O autor afirma que não tem de demonstrar que a realidade não tem ligação à nossa percepção porque consegue demonstrar matematicamente que a percepção destrói a informação da realidade， logo nós não temos sequer acesso à realidade， mas nesse caso a realidade em si é desinteressante porque tudo o resto funciona perfeitamente só com a nossa percepção。Talvez haja algo no livro para além disto mas a partir do capítulo 4 dei por mim a repetir uma e outra vez "mas não falámos/demonstrámos/estabelecemos já isto？" e não consegui deixar de sentir que era um autor demasiado apaixonado com uma ideia que é chocante， admito， mas em última análise desinteressante e inconsequente。 。。。more
Teodor
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Pros: A very good introduction to Hoffmann's and other peoples work on the subject。 A very interesting theory。Cons: not scientific enough; too much surface。 It could have been much shorter if he repeated himself less。 Also， don't read the swedish translation version。 It reads as if the translator hates his job。 Pros: A very good introduction to Hoffmann's and other peoples work on the subject。 A very interesting theory。Cons: not scientific enough; too much surface。 It could have been much shorter if he repeated himself less。 Also， don't read the swedish translation version。 It reads as if the translator hates his job。 。。。more
Robert Martin
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This book absolutely blew my mind。 Significant portions （some of the math and all of the quantum physics） were way over my head， but the beauty is， it doesn’t matter。 Fundamental concepts like Fitness Beats Truth （FBT） and the Interface Theory of Perception （ITP） are easily understood by the layperson。
Apollon
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Had been looking for a book that dives inti this exact topic for years。 It was everything I was looking for and more。 Very well put together。
Scott
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This is a difficult book， simply because it's premise is so counter-intuitive。 In sum， There Is No Spoon。 It is well written， and thankfully not long。 I do recommend it， but it's challenging。 This is a difficult book， simply because it's premise is so counter-intuitive。 In sum， There Is No Spoon。 It is well written， and thankfully not long。 I do recommend it， but it's challenging。 。。。more
Armen Shirvanian
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My interview with Professor Donald Hoffman on "The Case Against Reality" for The Armen Show:351: Donald Hoffman - "The Case Against Reality" My interview with Professor Donald Hoffman on "The Case Against Reality" for The Armen Show:351: Donald Hoffman - "The Case Against Reality" 。。。more
Luna Rocha
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Fascinating but I struggled with some of the concepts because I don't have a strong science background。 Fascinating but I struggled with some of the concepts because I don't have a strong science background。 。。。more
Bryan
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The book was a pleasant experience and I'm glad I got to swim around with these ideas and go deeper into this wonderfully imaginative theory which really resonates with me。 I'd often thought that consciousness is somehow central and this theory takes it a step further arguing it is fundamental。 I can't wait to learn more about what discoveries are made as a result of this theory。 The book was a pleasant experience and I'm glad I got to swim around with these ideas and go deeper into this wonderfully imaginative theory which really resonates with me。 I'd often thought that consciousness is somehow central and this theory takes it a step further arguing it is fundamental。 I can't wait to learn more about what discoveries are made as a result of this theory。 。。。more
Derek Kreider
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I enjoyed this book。 From about 1/2 to 3/4 through the level shot up and some things were mind-boggling to try to follow， but the rest was down to earth， even if a bit trippy to think about。 I love the reference to studies and experiments for what would otherwise be unbelievable。 One of the author's main points - that evolution selects for fitness， not truth， and often to the detriment of true perception - reminded me a lot of Plantinga's argument against naturalism。 Plantinga essentially argues I enjoyed this book。 From about 1/2 to 3/4 through the level shot up and some things were mind-boggling to try to follow， but the rest was down to earth， even if a bit trippy to think about。 I love the reference to studies and experiments for what would otherwise be unbelievable。 One of the author's main points - that evolution selects for fitness， not truth， and often to the detriment of true perception - reminded me a lot of Plantinga's argument against naturalism。 Plantinga essentially argues that in a materialist system， truth can't be known AND truth isn't the goal of selection。 Yet materialist endeavors are for truth， and they often rail against religious people as delusional。 Yet so many materialists go on believing in helpful delusions （on their system） like love and free will， not because those things are true （as they can't be on their system）， but because evolution selects for survival。 Being deluded about our sentiments of love and the will is important for our survival。 。。。more
Hugo Seriese
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Vol interessante shit。 Of ik zijn hypothese nou echt geloof。。。waarschijnlijk is ook dat een uitkomst van evolutionaire selectie， dat we dit niet kunnen bevatten。 Very out there in a way。
Allie Smithie
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This book literally just changed the entire way I look at the world and “reality”。 I am extremely mentally exhausted。 He really proved that we live in a simulation of our own perception because of evolution。 The world is an interface and nothing exists unless we are actively perceiving it。4 stars because I feel like half of it went over my head。
Brad Dunn
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There is a section in the middle of this book which made me want to give it 5 stars and proclaim it may have been the most insightful book I've ever read。 The chapters which break down the physics of the world under this new theorem （Fitness beats Truth） made me realise what I've been hearing for a really long time about the fundamentals of reality perhaps being very different to what we experience。 It's really worth reading。 I highly recommend this， but the other chapters can seem a bit weaker There is a section in the middle of this book which made me want to give it 5 stars and proclaim it may have been the most insightful book I've ever read。 The chapters which break down the physics of the world under this new theorem （Fitness beats Truth） made me realise what I've been hearing for a really long time about the fundamentals of reality perhaps being very different to what we experience。 It's really worth reading。 I highly recommend this， but the other chapters can seem a bit weaker and a little dull。 。。。more
Anthony Porporino
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The premise and conclusion Hoffman presents is mind blowing: our perceptions perceive a reality we have constructed for the benefit of surviving rather than seeing the true nature of the universe。This claim is very interesting to ponder and potentially true。 The evidence he presents is not very convincing and the book to me leans more towards philosophy rather than science。 It is always very repetitive。 A good read nonetheless if you are searching for answers about who we are。
EOC
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