Is individuality an illusion?

Question:Our perception of reality in itself is all an illusion. To an existentialist, we are all connected, and individuality is just a misconception of the truth to our existnce. I think our physical bodies do not have the capability to see what is really there. Ill give you two examples that show how flawed our perceotiuon is.

If you were to take three buckets of water: 1 very hot, 1 very cold, and 1 room temperature. Now take all three in front of you with the middle bucket being room temp and place your hands in the two buckets that are hot and cold simultaneously for about 60 seconds. Remove both hands and place them both in the bucket thats at room temperature. The hand that was in the hot bucket will feel now feel cool, and the hand that was in the cold bucket will feel warm. The middle bucket is the same temp, but our perception deceives us and we feel two different temperatures.....

The second is a true story that just happened recently. A 69 year old man, who had heart problems, received a different heart from another man. The man that this gentleman received his heart from commited suicide by shooting himself in the throat 12 years ago. Again, the recepient of this donor had NO idea who he or any of his family were. Shortly after receiving his new heart, the 69 year old man ended up committing suicide by shooting himself in the throat as well, in the same way that the last man did. This guy showed no signs of being suicidal in his entire life, and had no relation to the man which he received his heart from.

The coincidence in this story is very difficult to ignore and pass off as coincidental. Individuality is merely a misconception of our reality that we live in daily.

I provided a link to the news article that gives validity to the story I just shared. I hope this provided some new insight for you. Thanks!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Our perception of reality in itself is all an illusion. To an existentialist, we are all connected, and individuality is just a misconception of the truth to our existnce. I think our physical bodies do not have the capability to see what is really there. Ill give you two examples that show how flawed our perceotiuon is.

If you were to take three buckets of water: 1 very hot, 1 very cold, and 1 room temperature. Now take all three in front of you with the middle bucket being room temp and place your hands in the two buckets that are hot and cold simultaneously for about 60 seconds. Remove both hands and place them both in the bucket thats at room temperature. The hand that was in the hot bucket will feel now feel cool, and the hand that was in the cold bucket will feel warm. The middle bucket is the same temp, but our perception deceives us and we feel two different temperatures.....

The second is a true story that just happened recently. A 69 year old man, who had heart problems, received a different heart from another man. The man that this gentleman received his heart from commited suicide by shooting himself in the throat 12 years ago. Again, the recepient of this donor had NO idea who he or any of his family were. Shortly after receiving his new heart, the 69 year old man ended up committing suicide by shooting himself in the throat as well, in the same way that the last man did. This guy showed no signs of being suicidal in his entire life, and had no relation to the man which he received his heart from.

The coincidence in this story is very difficult to ignore and pass off as coincidental. Individuality is merely a misconception of our reality that we live in daily.

I provided a link to the news article that gives validity to the story I just shared. I hope this provided some new insight for you. Thanks!

"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

- Albert Einstein

Love and blessings Don

No.

Depends on how understanding the reality.

which demonstrates it as a responsive illusion.

Questions with regard to reality and illusion are difficult if not impossible to answer. The purpose of such questions is to invoke thought, rather than to get at some objective answer. The more thought provoking question would not be limited to individuality; instead it should be applied to reality itself. If you want to begin with the supposition that our perception of reality is not an illusion - our existence, the chair you sit on, the laws of physics - than you can possibly attack your question. First and foremost, you must define individuality, as well as illusion. Once defined, than you can determine if in the "reality" which we exist (which we presuppose is not an illusion), there is present, individuality... whatever that term has been defined as. Sorry I didn't quite answer your question... all I can supply is a method by which to approach such issues.
steve

Thought is what makes real, real. So individuality is the birth place of the only reality we will ever know.

Interesting question. On the one hand, it seems that individuality is a social imperative and therefore in opposition to our biology or nature. To reproduce humans must conform to certain criteria within the norm. To exceed peers humans must seek to achieve a level above normal; a condition that often means achieving some sort of economic advantage and therefore a position of greater authority or power.

Are we seeking individuality or are we like the plant pushing passed its fellows to find more sunlight? Is the nature of life competition? Perhaps.

On every hand are the enemies of individuality and mental freedom. Custom meets us at the cradle and leaves us only at the tomb. Our first questions are answered by ignorance, and our last by superstition. We are pushed and dragged by countless hands along the beaten track, and our entire training can be summed up in the word -- suppression. Consider why individuality exists. I think the most likely explanation as to why individuality has not been erased, indeed by most recent generations it has been prized, is because it has a benefit. The most likely explanation is uniqueness. A person utilizing a unique outlook to certain degrees would be beneficial, stimulating new movements to push a group forward. It is the necessary counterbalance to prevent stalemate in a group’s development, the evolutionary check and balance system. As long as it does not continually undermine conformity (which it most typically does not), it merely works as a critique and an innovator. Both conformity and individuality work together in a system which keeps the group together, and yet allows for growth and development. But these are not societal in nature, they are individual. Therefore, a person who has both an inclination to group with others and yet also strives to maintain his own ideas about particular items will have the most profitable disposition.

Yes.
Individuality is a myth. A fairy tale.