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The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes by Donald D. Hoffman

3.72 AVERAGE

bopa's profile picture

bopa's review

4.0
challenging informative

rashidmalik's review against another edition

3.0
challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

elflam's review against another edition

2.0
challenging informative reflective slow-paced

gineraay's review against another edition

4.0
challenging informative reflective slow-paced
The book argues that the role of perception (our senses) is not to represent the world as it is, it is to ensure our survival so we can reproduce. What matters is the payoff, not the truth of our perception.
I am not skilled enough in philosophy or biology and evolution to judge the argument but it did make me think and consider the question. From a lay point of view the argument and its presentation needs work.

nerdstats's review against another edition

4.5
challenging informative medium-paced

mboundtogether's review against another edition

4.0
Finished reading with less enthusiasm than I began. I dont think it was necesarrily a waste of time because he puts out a topic that I find particularly interesting, what is the nature of reality. It was a fascinating idea that he puts forth and I guess others like Deepak Chopra have put forth this idea that consciousness is not dependent on brains. Although it was interesting, it seems like there is a ways to go until one is justified to hold such a view. It is a heavy question to grapple with.

maireo's review against another edition

1.0
medium-paced
Beautifully written sentences re-hashing well known philosophical conundrums. Nothing new or revolutionary in this book. Great marketing, great fluff. 

anoliveri's review against another edition

3.5
challenging informative fast-paced

johnnynolen's review against another edition

4.25
challenging dark informative mysterious reflective medium-paced
I love existentialism and science, and this book expertly combines the two in a way that I would not have been exposed to in my normal reading circuits: through the lenses of Darwinism and quantum theory. If you've got a tolerance for weirdness and denseness, this book is amazing. 

thistlebloom's review against another edition

3.0
challenging informative slow-paced