Reality Tunnel

An Emic Reality established by a system of coding, or a structure of metaphors, and transmitted by language, art, mathematics or other symbolism. -Robert Anton Wilson

''A Myopic (defintion:nearsighted;lacking foresight or scope) system of thoughts (mostly consistent) that a human chooses or is foisted upon them by parents, culture, society, institutions, etc. to guide the human biosystem through his/her environment. Most people seem to go through the tunnel without ever questioning what is outside it and who built it, and what other choices there are as far as models.'' (cut'npasted from fUSION Anomaly)

"...every reality-tunnel or neurosemantic system encourages us to "see" (and give importance to) some information - to pay close attention to a certain kind of signals. The astronomers who believe in the tenth planet beyond Pluto (for mathematical reasons) are, for instance, looking very closely at signals from that part of space-time. A painter is looking very closely, meanwhile, at a different class of signals, involving a different space-time game. A poet, or a certain kind of poet, is more interested in sounds and connontations than in purely visual stimuli. Etc.

Every reality tunnel, alas, tends to discourage attention and alertness to some other classes of signals. I am annoyed when the phone rings while I am writing. Bobby Fisher, the American Chess champion, allegedly interrupted a political discussion on one occasion to ask irritably, "What the hell does that have to do with Chess?" As C.P. Snow once pointed out, most artists not only don't know the Second Law of Thermodynamics but aren't even ashamed of their ignorance in that case; it is simply irrelevant, they think.

Due to the territorial imperatives of primate neurology, some information is not only ignored but actively resisted. Denial, anger or even desire to punish the messenger who brings "bad news" are well-known traits of our species. To the extent that we are aware of this tendancy, and try to combat it in ourselves, we will make efforts to seek unwelcome signals -- e.g. by reading periodicals of the groups that whose reality-tunnels oppose our own, as Bertrand Russel often recommended. To the extent that we ignore or forget this primate tendency in ourselves, we will lapse into Fundamentalism, Idolatry and the Inquisitorial mode of behavior.

Civil libertues are profoundly counter-intuitive. It takes an effort of imagination and good will to remember that those we despise deserve the same legal rights as those who agree with us. " -From The New Inquisition by Robert Anton Wilson (New Falcon Publications) pg.27

Related:
 * Critical Questions
 * Robert Anton Wilson
 * Emic Reality
 * Etic Reality
 * Sombunall
 * Models