Thread: Dreams are real

Strange coincidences are not proof. They come to our attention because they are strange, and people latch on to them forgetting that all the not strange non-coincidences really cancel out the ones we notice - it's just chance.

I agree that I can't prove to myself that all life is a dream or not, because my perception gets in the way, but as a collective, on the balance of probability, we can use scientific proof to do trials that show repeatable, predictable results. That is proof to an accepted level of probability error. In a dream, unpredictable things tend to happen that fail these criteria. One fail is proof of "not real".

I don't know why this seems to be taken like some form of blasphemy by some. It's amazing that dreams are not real but appear to be so real, or not. It makes them more special than real life because anything is possible.
I don't think it makes then any less special to know they are imagined.

Of course we are all entitled to our beliefs, but if you start confusing reality with dreams it can be bad news....

I usually think of it this way:

Waking life = external reality
Dreams = internal reality

Dreams are still very mysterious in a lot of ways, and while there is no "proof" of stuff like the dead being able to visit our dreams etc, they are still valid and interesting topics of discussion.
Scientists are not supposed to decide what "should" be true and false, they are supposed to be curious about the nature of reality and try to understand it, based on acceptable evidence.
That's why you see people like Stephen LaBerge and Robert Waggoner constantly ask themselves questions about the nature of dreams - that's the spirit of passionate scientists.