Perception = Reality? I've always found that perception is reality only in the mind of the observer. Unless, of course, the observer understands the cardinal rule of observation: Perception is NOT reality. Those who believe that it is will always have their perceptions manipulated to serve those who know that it is not. Just ask any politician or marketing expert.
Value as a concept can be debated into infinity with no value ever being produced. This is because value is not only a concept. It has *VALUE* in that it is defined as the worth of "item X" to the observer. In this case perception can become reality if the same perception is shared by enough people. Like in a marketplace. Of course, this is also where those marketing experts come in. By manipulating your perception, they presuppose for you the value of "item X" and actually create the reality for you. Bottom line, if people will pay $25 for item X, but it only cost 50 cents to produce, then it's value is $25, not 50 cents. If everyone said "bullshit" and refused to pay more than $2 for the thing, then $2 would be its value. Which can't be that bad, 300% profit is pretty good in most cases. Thus, value does have value, as does any concept that can be applied in reality. Value exists in both the negative and the positive. The real question is: does anything of truly zero value exist, and if so, how is that possible?
Nick