The Triune Model of Reality

In many of the works presented in this collection I refer to the Triune Model of Reality.  To save constant repetition I will explain it here.

The basic model states that we exist in three “realities” simultaneously:  the Objective, the Subjective, and the Artificial.

Objective Reality is the world that is as governed by the Laws of Nature.  This reality is largely understood through Empiricism and the Scientific Method and is also known as Existential Reality, Nature, or simply the Universe.

As physical beings, humans are subject to the Laws of Nature, just like every other thing that exists.  However, humans are also conscious, self-aware things.  We not only perceive Objective Reality, but also assess it and impose meaning upon it according to our perception and judgement.  This creates an internal mental construct of reality, a Subjective Reality, unique to every individual. 

We may exist in Objective Reality, but we each live in our own special Subjective Reality with ourselves at the centre.

Objective Reality is a harsh place to exist.  To survive, humans band together into social groups comprised of many Subjective Realities, and create technology to protect and sustain themselves.  This creates the man-made Artificial Reality composed of two types, the Social and the Material.
  
The Social aspect describes human social institutions such as religions, governments, and legal systems as well as culture, traditions, and customs.  The Material aspect includes every man-made construct from homes and cities to spears, factories, and toothpaste.  Artificial Reality is created and maintained through human production for the purpose of improving the quality of human life against the harsh demands of Nature.  Thomas Hobbes observed that without the benefits of Artificial Reality the life of human kind would be, “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”  Despite being a protection again Nature, the Artificial Reality is still derived from Nature and therefore subject to its laws, although in the case of the Social aspect this may not seem readily apparent in the relative short term. 

The below chart illustrates this model. (click to enlarge)

Which "reality" is reality?  Objective Reality is the ultimate Truth, however despite its transient nature Artificial Reality can have a greater impact on our daily lives and be, for all intents and purposes, reality.  Subjective Reality may not be reality outside the consciousness of a single individual, but it drives human action.  This action creates a cause which leads to an effect in the other realities. Not to mention the fact that each person's Subjective Reality is the only reality they know. 

To illustrate, consider that Bob loves the rain, but Susan hates it, so she invents the umbrella thus creating a new material Artificial Reality wherein she is happily dry despite the rain while Bob is wet.  According to Bob’s Subjective Reality, Susan’s invention is evil because it is blasphemous to his rain god, so he rips the umbrella from her and breaks it, thus wiping her Artificial Reality from existence.  Not content, he goes even further and has umbrellas outlawed, thus creating a new social Artificial Reality that conforms to his Subjective Reality.  Susan is a rebel and does not believe such silly superstitions.  She makes another umbrella, is arrested and placed in jail.  There is no such thing as a rain god, but that does not change the Objective truth that she is imprisoned and none of these events changes the Objective truth that it is still raining.