Construction and deconstruction of reality: philosophical perspectives on perception and media

Abstract

Introduction: Human beings have developed over the years through interaction with the world and their social environment. This process has allowed the transformation of the environment through learning from others, raising questions about the faculties that enable this development. This work explores the nature of knowledge acquisition in humans through their senses and experiences, integrating perspectives from Aristotle, Marshall McLuhan, and Humberto Maturana. Methodology: A theoretical analysis is adopted that combines bibliographic review with philosophical and theoretical interpretation. Key texts such as Aristotle's "De Anima," McLuhan's "Understanding Media," and Maturana's "The Tree of Knowledge" are reviewed, applying them to contemporary examples that illustrate the interaction between perception, media, and experience. Results and Discussion: Aristotle emphasizes the senses as the beginning of knowledge, Maturana views cognition as a biological process, and McLuhan suggests that technological media reconfigure this process. These theories help explain how technological tools affect human knowledge and how media contexts can shape or distort perception. Conclusion: The interaction between biology and communication technologies creates a dynamic field where reality is continuously constructed and deconstructed, highlighting the importance of understanding how media influences our perception of the world.