Objective Mental Reality- The 'Dark Matter' of the Social Sciences: Volume 1: The Physical and Social Spheres

The book offers a philosophical and cognitive justification for the author's concept of Objective Mental Reality (OMR), which links individual consciousness with society's intersubjective understanding of the world. The first part of the book explains why the concept of OMR is essential to modern science. Objects and phenomena do not exist for humans in isolation: they are formed in consciousness as mental representations and only in OMR do they acquire the status of real entities. This makes reality understandable, structured, and actionable. The second part is devoted to the physical realm of OMR. Any object appears not only as an object of perception but also as a bearer of cultural meanings. Even the scientific picture of the world turns out to be part of OMR, since its laws and facts are also mental constructions. The third part addresses the social sphere. Institutions, roles, norms, values, and events exist only insofar as people believe in them and confirm them through their behavior. OMR is revealed as a "second layer" of reality, where entities are formed that organize experience and guide our behavior. The book offers a groundbreaking explanation of how consciousness and society create the world we live in, revealing the key role of the OMR in the interaction of psyche, matter, and society.