Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Reply to comment

dvergara's picture

Recreating the world

There is one idea from class that has really stuck with me when thinking about perception and vision. It is this idea of the function of the lateral inhibition network, that it throws away certain information and then creates a new image, the image of the world that we 'see'. If our nervous system is "creating" a new image, than this image is merely a reflection of the world, very similar to Plato's Cave theory. How then, can we ever determine what is real? Can we even begin to imagine what the world really looks like? 

Plato believed that only through philosophy could we really gain a truer understanding of reality, our seeing the material world was simply not enough. I ask then, by asking these questions of perception and doubting our own reality, are we reaching a truer understanding? I personally doubt we could ever 'see' reality because of the physical limitations of our bodies and nervous systems. It is however interesting that we seem to have come to somewhat of an enlightenment by realizing these limitations, and attempting understand why they exist. If we know our vision is limited by the capacity of our rods and cones, than we can begin to imagine or create a picture of the world that is not limited thus.

Reply

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
8 + 1 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.