What Is Real?

The philosophy question “what is really real?” is metaphysics that has to do with the construction and criticism of theories about what is truly real. The book uses the example of traveling down a road what looked like and animal; but when closer, it is discovered that it was really a bush.   It appeared to be real but turned out not to be. Or it appeared to be one thing and when closer was something else. Philosophers in the textbook, George Berkeley and Plato have different viewpoints on the question “what is really real?”
George Berkeley’s theory on metaphysics is called subjective idealism, the philosophy of perception. He argued that reality consists of created minds, an infinite (God) mind, and the ideas (thoughts, feelings and sensations) these minds have. All of these things are immaterial.   This idealism is viewed as subjective because physical objects do not exist in apart from a person (mind) who perceives them. In order for something to exist, one would have thought of it first. Berkeley also argues that if empiricism (knowledge through senses) is right in sensations, feelings, and ideas, then why assume that we can know matter or some physical reality apart from what appears to our minds.
Plato argued that reality could be divided into two different parts.   There is the reality of matter characterized by change (becoming) and the reality of what he called the Forms, or ideas characterized by permanence, or being.   The theory of Forms is a form in the mental concept or idea we have of something.   The book uses the example of a table. If we saw different shapes of tables would we still classify them as tables?   It depends on the person and how they perceive what a table looks like. Being is immaterial and of greater value than the material. Plato believed that humans were made up of body and soul. One power that our souls have is the power of thought (mind) and this is our most valuable thing.  
After reading on the different viewpoints on metaphysics...