Authentic Dreams and Illusory Reality: An Ontology Built on Lucid Dreams
Abstract
This paper explores the boundaries between dreams and reality, posing the question of whether an ontology grounded in lucid dreams is possible. It challenges the traditional distinction that “perception is real while dreams are illusory,” conducting a philosophical analysis through discussions of phenomenology, psychology, existentialism, and perceptual realism. It argues that both perception and dreams are fundamentally constructive imaginative activities. Lucid dreams, as a unique conscious experience, particularly demonstrate freedom, authenticity, and meaning—elements often absent in everyday reality. Findings indicate that perception and dreams share the same ontological status as constructions of the world, lacking any fundamental ontological difference; their distinction lies only in the degree of construction. Based on this, the paper proposes a “Lucid Dream Ontology,” reinterpreting “reality” as a continuum of constructive experiences rather than a fixed external domain inhabited during wakefulness. Consequently, dreams can attain ontological status equivalent to so-called reality or become a new reality. This perspective not only challenges traditional metaphysical realism but also offers new possibilities for understanding existence, meaning, and authenticity.
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