external world

the world of real existing things external to and independent of human consciousness. The question of how one can have knowledge of such a world, or even be sure that such a world exists, has been fundamental to philosophy since the time of René Descartes. See absolute reality; objective reality. See also Cartesian self; egocentric predicament; solipsism.

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Psychology term of the day

September 1st 2024

economy

1. any system of rules and regulations by which something is managed; for example, a token economy is one in which a behavioral system is managed according to the disbursement of tokens as rewards.

2. management of resources in order to maximize efficiency or returns (material or psychological) and to avoid waste.