How does the brain deceives us every day
A Life / / December 19, 2019
Why perception is deceptive
We often say: "I will not believe until I see." Donald Hoffman (Donald Hoffman), a professor of the University of California, advises you not to believe even in what you see with your eyes. Cvoy strange advice it illustrates a curious history.
For millions of years the Australian beetle borer lived safely. Its reproductive system worked flawlessly. Everything changed when a man appeared with his habit of leaving garbage everywhere. In particular, people do not clean up after themselves on beaches and often leave in the sand beer bottles. Zlatko is baffled, because the beetle is not able to distinguish between a brown bottle from brown carapace females. Therefore, males regularly try to impregnate glass containers.
"Because of this, the beetles almost died out," - says Donald Hoffman, who spent almost 30 years studying how feelings deceive us.
Why would a scientist told the story? What primitive living being can confuse the bottle and his kinsman, it is not surprising. In addition, this information is little concerns us: a man stands far above the beetle from an evolutionary perspective. Such problems do not bother advanced Homo sapiens. However, Donald Hoffman in a hurry to upset us: we are no better than stupid brown beetles.
Evolution - it's not about the exact perception of reality; evolution - it is about reproduction. Any information that we process - is spent calories. So, the more information we need to learn, the more will have to hunt and the more there is.
And it is irrational.
Beetle hardly distinguishes the bottle from the shell of the female, and we do not really distinguish between objects that are similar to each other. perceptual system is arranged so as not to record the details of the world, to simplify objects.
This means that there is no reason to think that the objects we see around us, though how many are related to the real world, existing outside of consciousness.
As perception deceives us
We erase part to save energy, which is why everything that we see does not look like an objective reality. The question arises: why our brain is easier to create the appearance of the world, that little relationship to the truth than to perceive the world as it is?
You can reply using the example of a computer interface.
You click on the blue square icon to open the document, but your file will be neither blue nor square. And we see physical objects, which are actually just symbols. Blue square icon exists only on your desktop, in this particular interface on this computer. Beyond no icon. Similarly, the physical objects that we see exist in time and space is only our reality. Like any interface, our visible world is linked to objective reality. But for our own convenience, they have little in common.
It is difficult to believe. More precisely, it is difficult not to trust their own feelings. Hoffman confirms:
Our perception - and the window into the world, and a kind of limbo. Hard to comprehend reality beyond time and space.
So, we already know that the senses deceive us. And even some idea how they do it. Is it possible to overcome the obstacles set by our perception, and to look into the real world? Hoffman is sure possible. And for that, we need mathematics.
How to find reality
Mathematics helps to "find" the world that we can not know through the senses. For example, you can not submit a multidimensional space. But you will be able to build his model with the help of mathematics.
Mathematics allows you to find the real world, fixing strange, incomprehensible and illogical in this with you perceptions. Hoffman found at least two examples of such discrepancies that indicate the existence of a reality beyond consciousness. Here they are.
- The first example relates to the ability to instantly re-create the flavor, taste, tactile sensations and emotions. We can imagine how it is - to eat chocolate. To create this complete mental image, we use only the information received from the physical material of neurons and chemical synapses.
- The second example is known to all. Classic paradox: if there is an object at a time when he was not looking? Answered in the affirmative or negative, based solely on perception, it is impossible.
In both cases consciousness seems beyond the limits set by the sensual world. Maybe here and not start? Hoffman said: consciousness is the primary substance, due to which there is a physical world.
Our consciousness has the experience, which is inseparable from the one who feels this experience. And there are three channels of information: perception, decision and action.
This is how the input and output devices. For example, in the physical world we perceive the light reflected from the object, that is, see. Information enters the channel of perception. We decide and act, that is, give out certain information to the physical world.
It is obvious that the physical world can be excluded from this scheme, if the objects to connect directly with each other information channels. What one person sees, is the information that has already been issued in another. What makes the third will be the perception of information for the fourth.
Therefore, Hoffman believes that our world - a network of agents possessing consciousness. If we study the dynamics of the dissemination of information within the network, we can understand how the communication. And then we will understand how the information obtained by means of perception, correlated with the real world.
Now the scientist has to reconcile that model with space and time, physical objects, quantum field theory and the theory of relativity. A mere trifle: to solve the problem of mind and body in the reverse order.