Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman explains that we do not interact with reality but rather an approximation of reality that is most beneficial to our survival. Think of the analogy of a desktop on your PC. The icons that you click and move around are not literally the programs (the software or hardware). Rather they are patterns that represent that. Likewise our perception of reality is made up of useful “icons” — why is it that a bright red apple “jumps out” in a bunch of green foliage? It’s because that is most useful to us.

REF - Donald Hoffman TED Talk