subrealities

Subrealities is a term used to describe layered or alternative modes of existence that lie beneath, alongside, or within ordinary reality. In philosophy, literary criticism, and media studies, subrealities refer to perceptual, cognitive, or experiential orders that are not fully captured by conventional sensory data but can nonetheless influence interpretation and behavior.

Core characteristics include partial access, ambiguous boundaries between levels, and dependence on human perception or technology to become perceivable. Subrealities may be nested, with stable relationships across layers, or dynamic, changing in response to context, attention, or intervention. They can be manifested as dream states, immersive simulations, altered states of consciousness, or socially constructed frameworks of meaning.

Applications and usage: In literature and art, subrealities are used to explore the tension between appearance and underlying truth. In cognitive science and philosophy, they offer a framework for analyzing perception, memory, and bias as interfaces to underlying structures. In digital media and game design, subrealities describe how players negotiate between simulated environments and real-world contexts.

Etymology and history: The term emerged in late 20th century as scholars described layered experiences in fiction, virtual environments, and phenomenology. It remains an informal umbrella concept rather than a single defined doctrine.

See also: hyperreality, simulacrum, dream, alternate reality game, multiverse, virtual reality.