Thread: Some thoughts on Reality Checks

The way I see it, the core of what makes us lucid is knowledge. If we know everything we need to know during a dream to be lucid, we'll be lucid. If something that made us lucid were not knowledge, that something would not be able to be learned. To learn something, we create that new knowledge by creating a combination of our old knowledge that equates to the new knowledge.

I figure to know we are dreaming during a dream, during the dream, roughly we have to know:
1)we are in a situation
2)what a dream experience is like
3)the situation we are in is a dream

If we don't understand certain things, we can break those things down into simpler things to learn.

Originally Posted by dolphin

The way I see it, the core of what makes us lucid is knowledge. If we know everything we need to know during a dream to be lucid, we'll be lucid. If anything that made us lucid were not knowledge, that something would not be able to be learned, unless we were able to learn something that was not knowledge. To learn something, we create that new knowledge by creating a combination of our old knowledge to create the new knowledge.

I figure to know we are dreaming during a dream, during the dream, roughly we have to know:
1)we are in a situation
2)what a dream experience is like
3)the situation we are in is a dream

If we don't understand certain things, we can break those things down into simpler things to learn.

With respect, I couldn't disagree more. Knowledge is a useful tool, but what you need for lucidity is not knowing, it's being. Presence. Knowledge can even get in the way sometimes, as you're either in your mind with knowledge, or you're in your body with presence. Knowledge is helpful but not absolutely necessary for lucid dreams, after all, children often dream lucidly. Presence, however, is necessary.

Originally Posted by dolphin

The way I see it, the core of what makes us lucid is knowledge. If we know everything we need to know during a dream to be lucid, we'll be lucid. If something that made us lucid were not knowledge, that something would not be able to be learned. To learn something, we create that new knowledge by creating a combination of our old knowledge that equates to the new knowledge.

I figure to know we are dreaming during a dream, during the dream, roughly we have to know:
1)we are in a situation
2)what a dream experience is like
3)the situation we are in is a dream

If we don't understand certain things, we can break those things down into simpler things to learn.

I agree with the implications of what you're saying, not necessarily with every argument though. I guess it's mostly semantics: I wouldn't say you can only learn something that's based on knowledge, but also things that are based on skill. This could be called the distinction between practical and theoretical knowledge as well. Also, neither of them necessarily require understanding (although it never hurts): I can play guitar without knowing music theory; run without knowing how my leg muscles work; and have a lucid dream without understanding (or even knowing about) self-awareness.

However, you do need the skill (or practical knowledge) of (self)-awareness to recognize your state and become lucid, which is summed up very nicely in the three points you mention, so in the end I think we agree