Skip to main content

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

590,675 Views

3,317 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

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.

If you wake up and discover that you only did this lesson in a dream, would that change how you think about the lesson? Should it?

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

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

More from The Big Questions