I believe that evolution explains why we perceive the world the way we do.

If we were to be able to view “the outside world” as it is, it would make it more difficult to survive, as the beauty of this world would overwhelm us and make it difficult for us to function “inside our heads”...

It is Huxley’s conjecture that we would not be able to take care of the lower levels of Maslow’s hierarchy if we were constantly aware of the intricacies and beauty that surround us...

This cannot be approached in an Aristotelian manner, we cannot apply categories and dogma to an experience that is outside our simple logic, to do so would be futile, it’s a paradox...

I’m not so sure that your mug is a minor mystery. I have a feeling that your mug may be the key to it all… warm to the touch and solid, not jiggly, yet we know now that it is comprised more of space than matter and more of vibrations than stillness. Its warmth is a symptom of our own coldness, it’s comparative, not intrinsic.

In the end we are left with the question: “What is this ‘mug’? An experience inside my head, or an object in the outside world?” I have a feeling that the answer lies somewhere in the middle, and that the middle is like the middle of a funnel, spiraling down into dimensions beyond our normal experience.

I cannot wait for part 5.