Discrepancy in the Cognitive Realm

[Julio]

So, I only recently read Mistborn: Secret History. I found it very interesting, but a major discrepancy came up. In the Cognitive Realm on Scadrial, Kelsier was able to walk around on the parts that should have been cognitive "ocean" as if it were land, whereas Shallan nearly drowned while in an equivalent place. Also, the "spren(for lack of a better term)" in Scadrian Shadesmar were semi-solid smoke versions of what they looked like in the physical realm, whereas on Roshar they manifest as spheres. 

Basically, why is the Cognitive Realm on Scadrial so different from the Cognitive Realm on Roshar? 

[Yata he/him]

2 hours ago, Julio said:

So, I only recently read Mistborn: Secret History. I found it very interesting, but a major discrepancy came up. In the Cognitive Realm on Scadrial, Kelsier was able to walk around on the parts that should have been cognitive "ocean" as if it were land, whereas Shallan nearly drowned while in an equivalent place.

This is an easy one, Kelsier there is a Cognitive Shadow not a fully physiscal being. this is the reason he may walk over the "cognitive sea" without fall below, they are made of the same substance.

You may notice how all the living beings we saw in Secret History don't stay on the "Cognitive sea" without trouble. Khriss and Nazh are camped on the "solid part" (a lake in the phisical) and they probably move follow the rivers/sea/lake and other water path.

Hoid on another side, need to ride a Cognitive Shadow to use it as a boat when He tried to go near the Well (no water path to go there) because he can't walk on the "cognitive sea" otherwise.

On the different looks of the CR, every Shardworld seems to have a peculiar look, based on a specific theme. But they are functionally the same thing

Edited January 29, 2017 by Yata

[Spoolofwhool]

Two points, because you're addressing two concerns.

First point: Shadesmar is created by the cognitive thoughts of people, but is also influenced by the cognitive aspect of the world, as far as I'm aware. That's why Scadrial's region and Roshar's region are different, because of the influence of the respective planets. Presumably all world-affiliated regions are different in some way, just as each world influences the manifestations of investiture which result in a different way.

Second point: The spheres in the Roshar region are not spren, they're the cognitive aspect of physical objects, as you correctly identified. Once again, the difference is likely due to the influence of the world. 

Edited January 29, 2017 by Spoolofwhool

[Yezrien]

I think the cognitive realm looks different for every world, and the ones we haven't seen yet are all hard RAFO territory. But we can speculate...

Basically, the cognitive realm is shaped by many factors, including human perception. It reflects the fundamental differences between worlds -- differences that aren't as apparent in the physical realm. It may have something to do with the fact that Scadrial was created by shards, while Roshar and its people seem to predate the Shattering. 

And "spren" is definitely not the correct term. "Spren" is the Rosharan term for sentient splinters; on Scadrial, there are no splinters at all. Those spheres are the cognitive aspects (the minds, essentially) of inanimate objects. If I had to guess, I'd say they're just spheres on Roshar because they exist almost entirely in the physical realm, with very little cognitive presence. On Scadrial, everything, including people, seem to be slightly more immersed in the cognitive, so it looks like a ghostly shadow of the normal world. Again, this is probably because Scadrial is artificial, and more invested than other worlds.

(Consider Lift, who's known to exist more in the cognitive realm than most Rosharans. This lets her invest herself by metabolizing food in her stomach -- which is basically what allomancers do.)

It may also stem from the way people view the world around them. The one thing that both worlds have in common (in the cognitive realm) is that bodies of water appear solid, and can be walked upon. The difference is the land -- solid for Scadrial, an ocean of spheres for Roshar. On Roshar, this could be because people see the land as being very different from the sea; the land is complex, made of many objects, divided into many significant places -- an ocean of concepts -- whereas the sea is just a monotonous, homogeneous mass. On Scadrial, where the land has very few political, cultural, and linguistic divisions, it might seem as homogeneous and anonymous as the sea.

Edited January 29, 2017 by Belzedar

[Porkins97]

I want to reinforce the point that the cognitive realm is reflective of the way people see the world. On Scadrial, people see the world as it is, so the cognitive realm reflects it as a shadow form. 

On Roshar, there is this ideology that within every object there lives a spren. Is it odd then that each object manifests as a single sphere?

I have a few questions that arise from this: let's say a large group of rosharans moved to Scadrial and established their own town. How long would it take for the cognitive realm to alter to reflect their view of the universe? I imagine that over time it would alter, like a corruption around the town. 

Also, how would a soul caster affect things on scadrial? Would they do the same thing, only without the sphere, instead touching the object itself?

[Tglassy]

I believe that the people's perceptions of reality color the Cognitive Realm.  On Scadrial, the Mist is pervasive, and colors everyone's perceptions.  It's an exquisitely important aspect of their lives, and shapes their perceptions on the world.  Therefore, in the Cognitive realm, everything is very misty.  

 

On Roshar, glass Spheres are currency, and provide light.  They're everywhere.  The concept of a glass sphere holding something valuable is a firm concept to the Rosharan mind.  Therefore, the cognitive realm shapes itself so that every thing is a glass sphere.  

[Embrisk he/him]

The dirt thinks differently. It knows it's supposed to not move around.  ^^