"But we try to pretend, you see, that the external world exists altogether independently of us"

In this quote, Alan Watts is discussing a philosophical exploration of truth, perception, and the illusion of independence in between the external world and private awareness.

Watts, a popular British thinker understood for translating and popularizing Eastern viewpoint for Western audiences, often looked into the nature of reality and human perception. When he says, "But we attempt to pretend, you see, that the external world exists entirely separately of us", he is challenging the standard belief that there is a strict dichotomy in between the self and the outside world.

The use of the word "pretend" recommends an element of make-believe or self-deception inherent in our typical understanding of truth. Watts implies that this presumption of total self-reliance is more a construct of the mind than a real reflection of how things truly are. His viewpoint is deeply affected by Eastern philosophies like Buddhism and Taoism, which propose that the distinction in between the observer and the observed is illusory. Rather, these viewpoints frequently suggest that whatever is adjoined, forming an unified whole.

From this point of view, the external world isn't totally different from our understandings and awareness. Our senses and analyses play an essential function in forming our experience of truth, recommending that the "external world" as we understand it may not exist without our perceiving it. This intertwining of observer and environment shows the belief in a non-dualistic vision of existence, where limits are not as precise as they seem.

Watts's statement welcomes us to reassess how we experience the world and the possible constraints of perceiving truth through a stiff lens of duality. By challenging this idea, he encourages an accept of the interconnectedness of all things, prompting us to recognize that our awareness is not merely a passive recipient of the external world however an active participant in its unfolding. Through this understanding, Watts recommends a much deeper, more holistic engagement with the secret of existence.