What is Real? - a Thinking Thursday (on Friday)

This is a transcript typed by Mrs. Sharpe, our STEAM coordinator, while the discussion was happening. I find these philosophical debates so interesting, that I think I am going to start recording them!
 
Today, we let our guest select a question from the box; Mrs. Sharpe picked, "How do you know something is real?"


Terra – "If, like, you can touch it and it is on earth, it's real."
 
Erica – "...am I allowed to disagree?...ok, good. I disagree because if something is real and you can only touch it, there are real friendships, and how can you touch them? Even if you can’t touch it can still be real."

 (Emily, Kayla, Becka - "pick us, pick us, we got this, we know the answer"  -- Mrs. J: "Remember that there are no right answers, girls! Be patient, the talking stick is coming around your way")

"...Kennedy and I also disagree with Terra because things that come off of the Earth, that are not on the Earth, are real, like the Moon and the Sun."
 
Mandy - "I think what is real is something that you know could actually -- like, say you are reading a book then, the book is real but what is written is not. Like the object is real, but not the stuff it does."
 
Emily, Kayla, Becka – "Ok. What if we are not actually real, like there are aliens and they are controlling us and we are in a virtual role playing, doing what they make us do?"

 Kayla – "You know, when you, like, forget something, that means someone is controlling you and they press delete...?"
 
Jane - "Back on tara, I agree but I can add on, we are real but there can be a real person, or object, or feelings or friends. It can be an object or something you feel inside, or something you know. Knowledge can be real."
 
Miss J. - "How do you know what you know is real? Would something that is real become not real?"
 
Angela- "If you believe in something then it can be real to you."
 
Pippa – "I agree with Angela, some other people may not agree with you, it depends. If you think something is real, someone else might not."

Jane - "Some people believe in god and believe in Christmas and other people do not."
 
Miss J. - "So, reality is based on...?"
 
Kayla- "What you believe and think is still real."
 
Tiffany – "Sometimes when you are dreaming... you think it is actually real, you do not know you are dreaming until you wake up."
 
Angela- "We were talking about that at our table!!!"
 
Kayla – "I disagree with Tiffany because in a dream, sometimes what can happen can be real... like, if something happened in the day and then you dream about it."
 
Jane - "I sorta agree with Kayla but sorta disagree because a dream can be real... because you are dreaming about it. Some people have fortune telling dreams, so something is not real but becomes real."
 
Emmet – "If something has been seen or believed in something, that is real."
 
Ella – "I don’t know, going back to, I don’t know, so I think... like, my brothers, because they are only 5 and 7, believe in Santa, but I personally don’t. So they think he is real but I don’t. Also I think the dreams can consist of real things but I don’t think they are real. They are not actually happening."
 
Lauren – "So, if you believe something, but you have real belief in something, then it's real; but then you go back to things later and realize they are not real."
 
Taryn – "Going back to what Kayla said, sometimes you dream something and then it happens the next day.. so sometimes it can be real."
 
Mrs. J. "Who has ever had a dream that came true after?" (raises hand -- more than half the class raised their hands as well) "So, yes, interesting phenomena!"

Ellie – "People have sorta combined all my ideas so I don't know what to say."

Mrs. J. "That's OK, honey,! If you think of something we'll get back to you."
 
Chloe – "Like what Ella said, my sister and a bunch of my cousins believe in the tooth fairy- some people believe in things and some people don’t."
 
Claire- "I believe that somethings are real and some things are not."
 
Dylan- "Ok. Who has seen the movie click, you fall asleep and the whole movie you think is real, but then it was all a dream so it was not real. And, like, also something that has happen a long time ago ist is like dreams and I am not sure if it happened in real life or not. I sometimes ask my mom, remember when this happened? And she says it never happened."
 
Jane - "So I think that is the belief thing, ya everyone has their own beliefs but it depends on who you are to know what is real and what is not real. Like kids think that they have an imaginary friend, but on the outside there is not an imaginary friend."
 
Mandy – "We all could be dreaming right now and we could be waking up and our dreams could be reality. And this could be a sleep world."

Erica - "What is we were all in a mirror – you always see the same things but its flipped, what is we are in a mirror, but there are other people on the other side of the mirrors."
 
Mrs. Sharpe: "What about things you see or hear online? People saying how wonderful their lives are, and all those wonderful photos, do you think that is real?"

Mrs. J. "That is agreat point. With all the photoshop, too, how do we know even their photos are real?"

Dillon – "That is why people are having a Instagram account and then a real account, for friends, to show reality – so on Instagram you make your life look nice and pretty, and on your real account, you show yourself waking up and all messy."
 
Jane- "You have to, you don’t have to, but if you believe it its real. Like my sister believes in Santa then its real but we don’t believe it anymore so it is real to her."
 
**The girls started melting into the floor and each other, signifying the melting of their combined brains after our lively discussion. Can't wait for next Thursday!**

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