Surname 1

Students name
Instructors name
Course
Date
Philosophy Paper about Knowledge
Raymond Smullyan demonstrates the potentiality of multiplex realities in the paper
named as Dream or Reality? With a help of a debate, which appears between a Skeptic and a
Subject, the author proves that every individual is able to sustain multifold realities, no matter
how volatile they may be. The Subject considers that at any point in time, an individual utilizes
their perceptions in order to sense the reality of the targets surrounding them. Despite the fact
that these perceptions may not pull through to the future, the perceptions have been veritable at
the moment when they have been existing. The perceptions are not always believed to be an
unfailing basis of what is veritable, or a reality and what is a dream. Thus, a Skeptic endeavors
with the Subjects argument. I am going to argue that the Subjects argument of multifold volatile
realities harbors by demonstrating that each individual is able to perceive targets as reality at one
period of time, although they can be no longer perceiving the same perceptions and realities in
the future. I will start with the introduction of Raymond Smullyans argument, afterwards I will
present two counterarguments and make clear why they are null-effective. Finally, I will finish
the paper by stating that multifold volatile realities are the example of the best suited theory on
reality versus dream-states.

Surname 2
An initial facet of this argument stands for the differentiations between the targets, which
a Subject nominates as primary sensations and secondary sensations. The second term
describes the connection between corporeally detecting a target and the way it incarnates into the
retina of individuals eye. If somebody wanted to discuss or debate what presents reality in a
completely scholarly method, then there is no method to evict that the target an individual sees
is reality. Secondary sensations present no relation to the ways an individual apprehends the
world and, thus, cannot demonstrate an explication for what is and what is not actual. On the
other hand, the idea of primary sensations concerns the very experience of seeing a target. The
Subject connects this fact with the way infants observe the world, meaning as elementary as
possible. When an infant observes a target, they have no perception of how their organism
receives the delineation. In fact, they just observe the target and assume it is real. Utilizing the
above-mentioned initial designation of perceptions, the overall Subjects argument is valid. In
order to amplify this idea, the author provided a particular illustration, where the primary
substance of sensations was probably, while the secondary substance was not. The Subject voices
a phrase: I might see a chair after my bodily death, declaring that such a statement is a
contradiction under the secondary definition, this statement is a contradiction. It is obvious that if
a person is dead, they are not able of corporeally observing a chair with a help of typical bodily
functions. However, it is uncertain whether a deceased person would be capable of perceiving a
chair under the primary definition. Despite the fact that the chair may not virtually exist, if a
deceased individual is capable of perceiving a chair, then the chair is constituent of that
individuals reality. In order to continue the argument, it is important to expound the concept of a
dream state and how to determine when an individual is dreaming and when an individual is
not dreaming. When an individual is dreaming, it is anticipated that the person may wake up

Surname 3
and understand that the things that he/she have been outliving have not been existing. Therefore,
it means that the corporeal sensations have not been valid and actual, which means that they have
been in a false reality. Nevertheless, a false reality may only subsists if the person believes in an
absolute reality, meaning one sole reality, where everything surrounding the person is genuine
and the person is not defrauded by dreams. It is possible to debate that the subsistence of a sole
absolute reality would make the above-mentioned argument insolvent. According to the last
conclusions, it is impossible to have multiple realities due to the fact that there exists only single
genuine state of being, while in all other states the person is being defrauded. Nevertheless, if the
person believes in an absolute reality, then it is impossible to otherwise manifest whether the
person have acquired the absolute reality as such. A Philosopher who debates for an absolute
reality is able to conclude via scholarly demonstrations and the original determination of the
perceptions that there is an observable appreciation between the moments when the person is
actually observing something and when the person believes that they are seeing the same object.
Nonetheless, there is no evidence, which states that the person is currently awake and they have
not been able to wake up from their current state and acknowledge that they have actually been
in a dream state.
Therefore, it is more appropriate to assume that the dream-state to be one of multitude
possible realities the person could experience. There is no essential evidence for the fact that an
absolute reality exists. Those people who debate that perceptions are not dependable warrant for
manifesting the fact that people outliving the reality have not demonstrated a confirmation for a
sole absolute reality. A number of Philosophers who do debate that there has to be single absolute
reality, such as Descartes, do not debate for an absolute reality as much as they believe there is
one. However, when we only examine our perceptions utilizing the secondary meaning, each

Surname 4
state we endure might be a constituent of our reality. People apply their perceptions in each state
in order to endure the world surrounding them and construct an individual reality grounded on
their sensations. It is potent for people to endure a reality, and afterwards wake up to live in a
new reality. Therefore, reality can exist in a lot of distinctive states at a number of uneven times.
Due to the fact there is an effectual argumentation against an absolute reality and no
argumentation against various states in reality, it is consequent to admit that there may be
multifold realities existing for people at distinctive points in time.
The notion of volatile states is the major facet to this argument. It may be improbable to
say that there are multifold realities at the same time as people are unable to experience two
detached lives at the same moment. It practically means that people are unable to be in two
places at the same time and live two self-dependent lives. Nevertheless, people can be sleeping
and enduring their dreams, and afterwards wake up to outlive the place that they then believe to
be their new reality. Raymond Smullyan connected the overall notion to the afterlife. Presently,
people perceive that they are living their own reality on earth. Despite the fact that there is no
proof of an afterlife, when the person has passed away and woke up in a new state, the new state
would be believed to be their new reality. It actually means that after dying the afterlife would be
the new reality, and the previous life would not exist any longer. It would be illogical to state that
the present lives were not the actual reality just due to the fact that people are no longer
experiencing them. Therefore, it is probable to endure a reality in the future, which is not the
present reality, but is no less real than the current experiences.
To conclude, it is important to mention that due to the fact that it is irrational to repudiate
aspects and possibilities without conflicting convictions, it has to be dispensed that multiplex
realities can subsist within various time periods. There is no apparency of a sole absolute reality,

Surname 5
but there is a proof that various individuals sustain distinct dream states at variant periods. . If
people sensate targets, noisiness, etc in the process of the dream states, at the time it appreciates
the same way as if they are enduring the reality. On the other hand, a person is able to awaken
from the dream state and consider that the above-mentioned sensations have never actually
existed. Therefore, it is important to conclude that people transfer from one dream state to
another, outliving multiples realities at various times. Therefore, the argument of Raymond
Smullyan concerning multiple realities is ponderable and unimpaired.