The Back of My Head
I wanted to do a little thought experiment. What does the back of my head look like? Obviously, it looks like the back of everybody else’s head. To be sure, I have looked into mirrors, seen it on video, and looked at pictures of myself. Is that enough? Well, if I do not want to go crazy, then there is more than enough visual proof to ensure the back of my head is normal.
I have looked at other people’s heads without issue, and nobody has commented that the back of my head is unusual. Therefore, the leap of faith required that my head is normal is small. However, I can never be sure what the back of my head looks like because I cannot directly observe it.
Yes, I admit I should not spend much time thinking about this, but for some reason, I do. Why? This line of thinking is part of a larger question. Am I in a simulation? Am I a character in an elaborate book? Do I have free will? But that is not my question for this article. What does my profound life question have to do with writing?
The tie-in is that a writer can create a character from nothing. This “person” will suddenly exist in the author’s mind and then the reader’s mind. “Bob walked into the room.” Just then, Bob became real. He was not born; I imagined him. Is Bob Spanish? Does he own a yellow shirt? Can he understand Chinese? The author and reader do not know, but does Bob? He is not real and, therefore, cannot answer basic questions. However, authors and readers accept that Bob is a normal person. “There is a bug on Bob’s hand.” Now we know Bob has a hand, and there is a bug on it.
Does Bob wonder what the back of his head looks like? The answer is no. Why? To do so, I would have to take you, the reader, down a long path of introducing Bob, making you comfortable enough with the character to introduce some realistic paranoia. Then, I would have to set up a scene where Bob begins wondering about his existence, which leads to the question of the back of his head. That is way too much work.
Could I set it up faster? Challenge accepted. Harry Potter casts a spell so he can see himself. Lame. Superman flies in a circle so fast that he sees himself. Umm… Try harder. Marty McFly uses his time machine to return to the past and sees himself. Too predictable. How about a bunch of mirrors set up so that when Bob looks forward, he always sees the back of his head? This makes sense, but it would require the mirror box to have wheels and motors. So Bob can see himself. Still, there would be uncertainty.
Should I worry about this profound philosophical question? I do not want to know if I am in a simulation or a book character. I am content living my life without knowing this profound truth. But what if I was a character in an elaborate book? And that character died? Umm, if this is the case, please put down the book before you get to that chapter!
You’re the best -Bill
August 26, 2020 Updated April 12, 2025
I have looked at other people’s heads without issue, and nobody has commented that the back of my head is unusual. Therefore, the leap of faith required that my head is normal is small. However, I can never be sure what the back of my head looks like because I cannot directly observe it.
Yes, I admit I should not spend much time thinking about this, but for some reason, I do. Why? This line of thinking is part of a larger question. Am I in a simulation? Am I a character in an elaborate book? Do I have free will? But that is not my question for this article. What does my profound life question have to do with writing?
The tie-in is that a writer can create a character from nothing. This “person” will suddenly exist in the author’s mind and then the reader’s mind. “Bob walked into the room.” Just then, Bob became real. He was not born; I imagined him. Is Bob Spanish? Does he own a yellow shirt? Can he understand Chinese? The author and reader do not know, but does Bob? He is not real and, therefore, cannot answer basic questions. However, authors and readers accept that Bob is a normal person. “There is a bug on Bob’s hand.” Now we know Bob has a hand, and there is a bug on it.
Does Bob wonder what the back of his head looks like? The answer is no. Why? To do so, I would have to take you, the reader, down a long path of introducing Bob, making you comfortable enough with the character to introduce some realistic paranoia. Then, I would have to set up a scene where Bob begins wondering about his existence, which leads to the question of the back of his head. That is way too much work.
Could I set it up faster? Challenge accepted. Harry Potter casts a spell so he can see himself. Lame. Superman flies in a circle so fast that he sees himself. Umm… Try harder. Marty McFly uses his time machine to return to the past and sees himself. Too predictable. How about a bunch of mirrors set up so that when Bob looks forward, he always sees the back of his head? This makes sense, but it would require the mirror box to have wheels and motors. So Bob can see himself. Still, there would be uncertainty.
Should I worry about this profound philosophical question? I do not want to know if I am in a simulation or a book character. I am content living my life without knowing this profound truth. But what if I was a character in an elaborate book? And that character died? Umm, if this is the case, please put down the book before you get to that chapter!
You’re the best -Bill
August 26, 2020 Updated April 12, 2025
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