Apr 7 2012: It has long been said that Ideas are intangible which is a just statement. Just as with your "Virtual Cathode" and "Virtual Anode" Ideas have a very physical manifestations. Idea's are the root of all things man made and by default, they are the origin of many things physical. We must question our knowledge of the external world and the perception of all things physical. It is largely accepted that sense data makes up for much of our knowledge on the external world however the Noumenal world is too a part of the External world but a part of which sense data has no way of measuring. In comes the power of reason and the world of idea's - Intangible things but with a very real effect on the physical world. All this leads me to believe that our definition of what is real leaves much to be desired. Until we can look further into how what is incorporeal effects the material world or discover some method of measuring what is incorporeal, we cannot have a complete definition of the word real.
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