Interesting concept

[Nebuchadnezzar]

I know I'm not actually in this group, but I figured that as the most "enlightened" of our community you guys might enjoy reflecting on this:

Almost all of us can see, s***l, touch, taste and hear the world around us, and we fancy that we can generate a relatively complete picture of what's going on by means of our sophisticated senses. However, if you think about it, the picture we have is fully and completely restricted by our sensory organs; even with all our technology of microscopes, audiotechs and scanners of every kind, the output of those devices reaches only our eyes and ears, which remain the same with all their flaws.

As such, this concept provides a question that has dogged me for a long time: What does the world actually look like? Every animal sees it differently, but how does it exist? The keyboard I'm typing on is, for most practical purposes, white. A dog may see it differently, another human may even see it differently, but what does it really look like? Indeed, the world is our own, created by our eyes and ears and minds. If we could step away from these imperfect human senses, what would we see?

[methtownblue]

The human eye, is in my opinion, a poorly designed feature. It can only see a certain spectrum of light, but it can't see ultravoilet and infared light. Certain species of animals can see one of these however. But others can be colorblind but still see better in the dark than us.

What is odd is that all matter, in a sense, radiate light, but we can't see it. But I'm good with these flawed eyes, because the colors I see are beautiful enough for me.

And its ok, your question is interesting.

[a2thae]

I know I'm not actually in this group, but I figured that as the most "enlightened" of our community you guys might enjoy reflecting on this:

Almost all of us can see, s***l, touch, taste and hear the world around us, and we fancy that we can generate a relatively complete picture of what's going on by means of our sophisticated senses. However, if you think about it, the picture we have is fully and completely restricted by our sensory organs; even with all our technology of microscopes, audiotechs and scanners of every kind, the output of those devices reaches only our eyes and ears, which remain the same with all their flaws.

As such, this concept provides a question that has dogged me for a long time: What does the world actually look like? Every animal sees it differently, but how does it exist? The keyboard I'm typing on is, for most practical purposes, white. A dog may see it differently, another human may even see it differently, but what does it really look like? Indeed, the world is our own, created by our eyes and ears and minds. If we could step away from these imperfect human senses, what would we see?

Where to start...

You see, the state of existence that we cannot see is a very interesting concept. We see something like a desk, and it might not really look like that. As for sound, it is relatively similiar, we only hear certain frequencies...

To surpass your sight, and your hearing, maybe you must not have been given those in the first place. Beethoven was deaf, and he composed music beautifully, blind philosophers never physically see the world, but are able to see it clearly for what it is.

I ask you, if a man was born blind, and was able to distinguish by touch between a cube and a sphere... and he suddenly was able to see (through surgery or something) could he now tell by sight which was the cube and which was the sphere, before he touched them?

This is a very difficult question to answer...and really doesn't have an answer. Is it possible he saw those shapes by touch? That he saw the true form of them without seeing them?

That's the beauty of philosophy...

To have an omniscient all-sight would be incredible. It could be that we'd see the world as we see it now...it could be we see a vastly different reality.

[exial]

I know I'm not actually in this group, but I figured that as the most "enlightened" of our community you guys might enjoy reflecting on this:

Almost all of us can see, s***l, touch, taste and hear the world around us, and we fancy that we can generate a relatively complete picture of what's going on by means of our sophisticated senses. However, if you think about it, the picture we have is fully and completely restricted by our sensory organs; even with all our technology of microscopes, audiotechs and scanners of every kind, the output of those devices reaches only our eyes and ears, which remain the same with all their flaws.

As such, this concept provides a question that has dogged me for a long time: What does the world actually look like? Every animal sees it differently, but how does it exist? The keyboard I'm typing on is, for most practical purposes, white. A dog may see it differently, another human may even see it differently, but what does it really look like? Indeed, the world is our own, created by our eyes and ears and minds. If we could step away from these imperfect human senses, what would we see?

Nebu dude i had the same thought. I thought that becuz we are human that doesnt mean we see everything that actually exists. We like to imagine that our sense are top notch. That everything that is to be seen on earth is within our power to see, since we are of the higher animals. But the question that has been bothering me for a long time, is the same question nebu has. What does the world actually look like? What is hidden from our sight? What is their but invisible to our naked eye? If we could step outside of our 5 senses then what would we see?

[JohnLennonII]

The world, and reality itself, is for the most part subjective.
How we perceive something makes it real for us.
To you reality may be bleak, and for you it is.
To me reality may be full of possibility, and for me it it.
Not saying that these views are those held by any individual in question, but saying that perception is everything.
A being that could see all spectra and even see the philisophical idea of an object in addition to its imperfect forms would be like God.
That's a wonderful question, Nebuchadnezzar.

[a2thae]

How we perceive something makes it real for us.


What do you consider an illusion?

[JohnLennonII]

An illusion is something which appears to be impossible.
Illusion: a false appearance or deceptive impression of reality.
That definition can still fit into my view (although I very well could be wrong).
Just because something, from a properly informed perspective, seems real does not make it real.
Most things in life are illusions, like color, which is the original question, more or less.
The way things look is mostly an illusion created by the absorption and reflection of specific wavelengths of light.
Nothing is actually any one color or another, it just appears that way.
That is a very good question, though.
Should have seen it coming!

[N0M4N]

i thought of this so much, but nobody understood when i tried to explain, and just thought i was talking bullcrap :D awesome question, good to see everyone here gets it too.

[Xon]

I personally am color blind. I do see everything differently than most people and for me it has given me a different perspective. But being as it is. I see movement faster and shapes are more important. It is a very good question and one we should think about more.

[a2thae]

I have mono-vision, so I judge objects partially using size to determine how far away they are. It sucks for skii-ing.

[Xon]

yeah I bet. That has got to suck for a lot of things.

[a2thae]

I got contacts, and with them i have normal depth perception, its just contacts can be a bitch sometimes

[Xon]

Okay, I gotcha.