Overview Picture this: One day, someone tells you that things are not as they seem to be. As a sophisticated person of the world, you know this, but then you realize this person is suggesting a more profound concept: that the received truths of your existence are not necessarily true. You're Jonas in The Giver; you're Neo in The Matrix. What do you do? Do you embrace your new reality -- or do you run back in the cave?
How do we verify information or claims that are questionable or unusual?
Given that our minds and senses are not always accurate -- we dream, we hallucinate, and so on -- how can we be sure of the truth of our own perceptions?
Is reality defined by what most people agree to be true or real?