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How do you know you’re not dreaming? - Daniel Gregory

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TEDEd Animation

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Bizarre things happen in dreams: you fly, or conjure an all-you-can-eat buffet out of thin air, or get chased by witches through the halls of your school. But the strange things that happen in dreams don’t seem strange at the time. So, how do you know you’re not in a dream right now? Is there a way to prove that you're awake? Daniel Gregory digs into the philosophical theories of wakefulness.

WatchThink Dig Deeper Discuss
What was the name of the ancient Chinese philosopher who asked how you can know that you’re not actually a completely different kind of creature dreaming that you’re a human?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Daniel Gregory
  • Director Daniel Stankler
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Storyboard Artist Daniel Stankler
  • Animator Daniel Stankler
  • Sound Designer Zing Audio
  • Composer Zing Audio
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox

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