One of the philosopher's roles is to be able to distinguish between truth and reality. A delusional philosopher is like an oxymoron, as his or her point is to better understand existence.
Hallucinations are very realistic delusions. I merely call them realistic because they have the power to convince us that they are a part of reality.
They may have not only on visage, but sound and maybe other sensory data as well. I am speaking of this because there was a very rare time in my life where I hallucinated.
It is a mistake to skip your prescription. Should you do things such as this, some consequences are at hand. Not by society necessarily, but by your own mind, even...
I have a housemaid that I hire on a weekly basis. One strange night, as I woke and as I slept, I saw the door of my apartment's room open and closed.
As I closed my eyes, I heard her voice several times, telling me that she's here and that she came to clean. I also fell out of bed, only to realize I'm still on it.
The thing is, and I knew it, obviously -- I never arranged her to come at night, only on mornings. My mother, who lives next door, confirmed this herself, saying that there was no one there at the time the hallucination took place.
In addition, the housemaid does not have the key to my apartment, it's either I or mother who opens the door for her. She cleaned the house the day after, and nothing was stolen, so it wasn't even a thief. I checked that, as well.
Since I live close to Lebanon and Syria, two hostile nations, I also keep my door locked at all costs. Having your door unlocked in Northern Israel, is truly, truly unwise, for that reason.
It was the only time in my life where I was scammed by my own mind while awake. I'll make sure such a thing will never happen again.
Metaphysics... is a branch of philosophy that aims to study reality. Despite work being done in that field, which I learned myself at university... things are not necessarily as real as we may think they are.
Abstract concepts, for example -- their realness is questionable because they are not physical in nature. They are not necessarily as real as the device you're using to read this, is.
How come? They are largely, if not entirely, concepts that only exist in our minds, and if true, are only represented by their reality-based examples.
Humour is an abstract concept, for example, and you can know if someone has a good sense of humour if their jokes make you, others, or both, laugh. If, like cats, we had no ability to laugh, then we might as well not have devised this very concept!
Dreams and hallucinations... I hate them due to their likely tendency to deceive me. Who knew, one's own mind, that is used to philosophize, can also deceive autonomously, as if it was an entity of its own... How can we say that we are our minds, then? I digress.
Relying completely on your senses and feelings is a mistake, if you want to see reality beyond them. Who is to say alcohol is good for you, just because it feels great drinking it?
Many other such examples, testify my repulsion from hedonism. Use the site's search engine to learn more why.
I do not know why hallucinations exist as a phenomenon. Some might distinguish between it and delusion, but I do not. Both are displays of trickery that works.
When I talk of why, I refer to the reasoning, not to the factors at play.
I know of the factors that could lead to it, such as alcohol and substance abuse, but I no longer drink beer casually, and I have full control on my decision to take my meds...
It's one of the reasons I will even try to not skip their take. I'll inform my psychiatrist in our appointment, regardless. Do not worry.
Also, as a philosopher, I will protest any hallucinogens in my prescription. Fortunately, my requests are heard and respected, for they are reasonable.
Clonazepam can calm but has a great potential for addiction. When I convinced my doctor to remove it from my consumption, I purified my apartment from every inch of that substance. Will not take it again. Shame I even took it.
These meds always tasted like rotten fish. I merely take them to preserve my rationality.
I'm at least happy that I could detect the hallucination while it occurred. I do not like my mind, but it's a tool I cannot avoid using as a philosopher.
I will not experiment with my mind as if it were a chemistry lab! It's a part of my tool-shed, and I need it to be stable and in good condition for my occupation! For serving you!
Hail Philosocom.
