Originally Posted by
splodeymissile
I wouldn't say its infinite. Immensely large, but still limited by the individual whose mind it is. Speaking of limitations, the dream world and imagination, while definitely linked, seem to me to be based on perception. In that, unlike reality, they disappear when unobserved. Even in dreamless sleep, we still possess some (mostly automatic) mental functions. In terms of the actual consciousness, though, I agree. I don't think we completely fade from the dream world, if only because we can still use our imagination and daydream. However, this is probably going to be our main source of disagreement. You seem to be implying that the dream world is sort of like an independent plane, existing alongside ours, with sleep being akin to a portal between realms. Why, then, do Dream characters seem unable to enter our world and, if they have entered, are they able to "lucid reality"? If I'm completely wrong, I apologise. My own personal view is that the dream world is just a sophisticated hallucination, created so we have some stimulation whilst the body sleeps. This is the reason I have such a lax attitude towards morality in dreams. Its about as real to me as fiction.