Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: buket on 11/10/2016 22:19:54
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Do you have any opinion about Donald Hoffman's theory 'Interface Theory of Perception' suggesting that we don't see reality as it is?
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Any comment?
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Q. Do we see reality as it is?
A. Evidently no ...
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.guy-sports.com%2Ffun_pictures%2Fjf_dots3a.jpg&hash=80a70ac7fa8c700df5bec57017c25a0c)
In reality the coffee bean image is not moving.
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Yes but I am not talking about tricky images like this one. There is a theory called 'Interface Theory of Perception'. I am curious about what your opinions are on this theory..
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In reality the coffee bean image is not moving.
If you keep your gaze absolutely still, the beans stop moving.
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The beans are both moving and immobile. They are moving because reality is subject to a internal representation. Thus, "the perceptions of an organism are a user interface between that organism and the objective world" if the observer internal representation is accurate. So, I suggest objective reality depends on the accuracy of the perceptions of an organism: Perception is a observer specific mental construction.
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As tk rightly says: "objective reality depends on the accuracy of the perceptions of an organism"
For example, our human eyes, in their natural state, are not accurate enough to perceive bacteria. But that doesn't mean bacteria don't "objectively" exist.
Only that our unaided human eyeballs lack the necessary resolving-power to see them.
But when our resolving power was enhanced, by inventing convex glass lenses, we could see the bacteria.
Similarly with astronomical objects. Before the telescope was invented, we couldn't perceive the rings of Saturn, so objectively speaking, the rings didn't exist.
Now we have telescopes, and the rings do exist.
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First try to define reality. Not easy. Reality is relative imo.
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One thing I noticed in dreams is that the colors are much more vivid and intense. Thus our brains intensify our internal reality whereas our normal reality is much more bland.