What we believe shapes our reality.

The Subjective Reality Hypothesis asserts: Your truth is what you sincerely believe, until you believe otherwise. This concept challenges our understanding of proof, perception, and the nature of existence itself.

A drunk man believes he can fly. He leaps from a window. In his mind, he soars—until the human jelly that is his remains believe in the physics the man did not.

But here’s the head-scratcher: What was the man’s reality? Did he truly fly in those moments before impact, his consciousness creating a reality of flight, however fleeting? What can exist beyond our perception of its existence?

Now, imagine you’re invited to a party. If you genuinely believe you’re funny, engaging, and worth inviting, you become the living embodiment of that belief. Your confidence radiates, your jokes land, and your presence becomes magnetic. You’ve transformed into the person you believed yourself to be, not through deception, but through the sheer power of conviction.

This concept extends beyond individuals. When groups hold conflicting beliefs, each sees their version as absolute truth. To them, it’s as real as gravity, persisting until challenged by undeniable evidence.

But here’s where our digital age complicates matters: Social media has made “undeniable evidence” increasingly problematic, if not impossible. Echo chambers, algorithmic feeds, and the ease of finding like-minded communities online have created parallel realities. What’s undeniable to one group is easily dismissed by another. The drunk man’s fall is now up for debate, with some arguing he actually flew.

This fracturing of shared reality pushes us to consider: What if consciousness itself is fundamental to reality?

Imagine a color that no human has ever seen. Can it exist if it’s never been perceived? Or consider the countless radio waves passing through us at this moment, invisible and unfelt. Do they exist in our reality before we build a device to detect them? Perhaps our reality is not a fixed stage, but a dynamic interplay between consciousness and potential, constantly evolving as our ability to perceive and believe expands.

This line of thinking suggests that consciousness might be the bedrock of existence. Our beliefs and perceptions don’t just interpret reality—they create it. The universe might be a vast field of potential, collapsing into definite states only when observed or believed in.

If consciousness is fundamental, the Subjective Reality Hypothesis has profound implications for religion, politics, and economics:

1. Religion: Your spiritual beliefs don’t just guide your actions—they shape your actual reality. If you sincerely believe in a higher power, that entity becomes real in your experience. Heaven, hell, karma, or reincarnation aren’t just concepts, but tangible aspects of existence for those who truly believe. This explains why religious experiences feel so real to believers, yet remain inaccessible to skeptics.
2. Politics: Political ideologies aren’t just sets of ideas—they’re reality-creating forces. If you genuinely believe in a political system, you start to see evidence of its effectiveness everywhere. This is why two people can look at crime rate and see radically different realities: a utopia for one, a dystopia for another. Your political beliefs don’t just influence your vote; they shape the very world you inhabit.
3. Economics: Your economic beliefs don’t just affect your financial decisions—they mold your economic reality. If you believe deeply in a particular economic theory — say, Effective Altruism or Universal Basic Income — you’ll see proof of its validity in every transaction, every market shift. This is why economists can look at the same data and draw wildly different conclusions. Your economic worldview doesn’t just interpret the market; it actively participates in creating it.

This view doesn’t negate external reality, or exonerate a Trumpian leader’s delusions. Instead, it suggests a deeper, more complex interplay between belief, consciousness, and the nature of existence itself—one that’s increasingly mediated by our digital landscape.

In this light, challenging our beliefs isn’t just personal growth—it’s an act of reality creation. If our beliefs shape our reality, then we have the power to create a better one — not just metaphorically, but literally. By choosing to believe in human potential, we may actually bring these realities into existence.

The Subjective Reality Hypothesis doesn’t trap us in isolated bubbles of belief; rather, it empowers us to collectively see a better world into being.

Are we passive observers, or active creators of our existence? Particularly here, particularly now, the answer just might lie in what we choose to believe.