“Your eyes do NOT deceive you”
What you see is reality, and because of that, your eyes can never deceive you. Let us start by closing our eyes ….. What do you see? Nothing right? Since you see nothing when your eyes are closed shut, would you argue your eyes are deceiving you?
After watching Donald Hoffman Ted talk, “Do we see reality as it is?” I began to think …. Do our eyes really deceive us? One of the most profound problems in epistemology is how we know the nature of reality,and and over the millennia, philosophers have pondered many theories to this reality question.
Donald Hoffman is a Cognitive scientist who uses this TedTalk to answer the question: Do we experience the world as it is … or as we need it to be? In this ever so sight-heavy world, he ponders how our minds construct reality for us. David argues reality is best understood as a set of phenomena our brain constructs to guide our behavior. Basically: we actively create everything we see, and there is no aspect of reality that does not depend on consciousness. David also argues that we lack the intelligence to see actual reality, so we make false assumptions.
“Do we see reality as it is ?”
David Hoffman
I want you to take a step back, go into your kitchen, and grab a granny smith apple. What color do you see? Now, look up the color of a granny smith apple online and see if it matches the color your thought. While we may not perceive reality as it is that doesn’t mean our perception is not reasonably accurate. Our slight is just like any muscle in our body, even if we do not realize we have been training our sight since we were toddlers making it one of the strongest muscles in our body. For centuries, people have promoted eye exercises as a “natural” cure for vision problems, including eyesight.
“Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Star Wars legend Obi-Wan Kenobi says, “Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them.” Kenobi explains how what you see sometimes isn’t the reality. It’s the way that you’re interpreting it. Your vision of things can be clouded or made more positive or negative by how your mindset is, and your attitude and mindset affect you in so many different ways.
Vision has been scientifically proven to be the strongest of the senses. Because humans tend to rely more on sight, rather than hearing or smell, for information about their environment. Light on the visible spectrum is detected by your eyes when you look around.
What is reality, and how do we know? The answer is simple: What you see — hear, feel, touch, and taste — is what you get. Your skin feels warm because the sun exists. That granny smith apple tasted sweet, and felt smooth on your fingers; so it must have existed. Our senses tell us that reality is there, and we use reason to fill in the blanks — that is, we know the sun doesn’t cease to exist at night even if we can’t see it.
“Your eyes do NOT deceive you.”
Daniel Omuto
Originally published at http://danielomuto.com on May 10, 2021.
