51¶¯Âþ

Letter: Separating reality from consciousness

Published 20 May 2026

From Robin Wright, London, UK

Have I got this right: some physicists and philosophers seem to think that reality cannot be separated from consciousness – human consciousness at that? I hope we can all agree that consciousness (not just human) is a biological phenomenon and one that arose later rather than earlier during the evolution of life. As for philosophising about wet water and red tomatoes, wet and red are just words we have coined to describe what our senses are telling us about our environment. Mrs Frog will think, “Ah, somewhere to lay my eggs”, and Mr Monkey will think, “Ah, that fruit is ripe and ready to eat” (2 May, p 36). They won’t get all emotional about it or start wondering if they are real. That’s unlike the conscious human mind, which sometimes seems to get a bit carried away and tries to complicate everything!

Issue no. 3596 published 23 May 2026

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