Abstract

SummaryA concept of reality is sketched which claims to be metaphysically neutral. It is based on the criterion of invariance, invariance with respect to the observer, the reference frame, the state of the subject, time, mode of perception, kind of experience or language. This criterion is here used negatively: all that is invariant is not necessarily real, but in the explaining schema we make of the world, that which changes depending on the point of view, the mode of perception or the knowledge of the subject cannot be considered real. The search for invariants allows efficient storage of information and prevision of events which have never been experienced. The concept of‘invariant limit' is introduced and the need of a suitable topology is stressed in order to speak of convergence of successive theories toward reality