People tend to merge the mental with the real because our perception of the world is never purely objective – almost all information passes through the lens of our memories, imagination, and inner feeling.

Mind, Reality, and the Divine: The Subjective Construction of Existenc

People tend to merge the mental with the real because our perception of the world is never purely objective – almost all information passes through the lens of our memories, imagination, and inner feeling. As noted in one source, “The virtual can seem more real than the actual,” which emphasizes that even if sensory experience is perceived as immediate, it is still tinted with subjective experiences (source: link txt). In addition, the process of perception itself involves processing sensory data together with preexisting ideas and memory: “By ‘perception’ one usually means the process or act by which sensory data is subjected to a more or less significant processing through its merging with the ideas of imagination and memory. Perception in this sense, logically speaking, produces decidedly mediated knowledge…” (source: link txt).

This blending leads to the blurring of boundaries between objective reality and interpretations formed on the basis of personal experience. When it comes to the existence of God, this process takes on special significance. Philosophy, such as that of Heidegger, leads to the question of God’s being being reduced to individual perception, devoid of objective metaphysical arguments: “Thus, Heidegger’s philosophy prompts the depersonalization of metaphysics in the modern world. Now, in a religious context, the perception of being is based solely on subjective terms. The question of God’s being, which formerly was central… Heidegger’s philosophy reduces it to individual consciousness’s perception, excluding external evidence of existence” (source: link txt).

In the end, when the mental blends with the real, it creates a space where objective knowledge is supplemented by personal, subjective experience. This influences the interpretation of God’s existence, as understanding the divine shifts from the realm of external evidence and metaphysical analysis to the sphere of individual experience and inner feeling.

Supporting citation(s):“Why is there the opinion that immediate knowledge is always objective?

For example, in virtual reality we may experience more intense pleasure than in real life, but that does not make it real in the traditional sense... In the end, the difference between the real and the virtual is erased: the virtual can seem more real than the actual. Thus, subjective perceptions shape our understanding of reality.” (source: link txt)

“By ‘perception’ one usually means the process or act by which sensory data is subjected to a more or less significant processing through its merging with the ideas of imagination and memory. Perception in this sense, logically speaking, produces decidedly mediated knowledge... Therefore, we have to use the term ‘perception’ in a sense that does not coincide with that accepted in psychology.” (source: link txt)

“Thus, Heidegger’s philosophy prompts the depersonalization of metaphysics in the modern world. Now, in a religious context, the perception of existence is based solely on subjective terms. The question of God’s being, previously central… Heidegger’s philosophy reduces it to individual consciousness’s perception, excluding external evidence of existence.” (source: link txt)