Perceptual Illusions

Indirect realists often ask us to consider hallucination and perceptual illusions. In hallucinations, you see something, but nothing which exists. In illusions, you see something, but not as it really is e.g. a straight stick in water appears bent. In each case, what you see, they claim, is a mental thing, an appearance, a ‘sense-datum’. We can then say that what we perceive ‘immediately’ is the appearance, which has secondary qualities; and that it is by enquiries@alevelphilosophy.co.uk © Michael Lacewing perceiving the appearance that we perceive the physical object, which has only primary qualities. So we see the appearance of the vase, which is a mental thing which really is red; and this way, we indirectly see the vase, which is a physical

One wonders what an optical illusion is, “an optical illusion is a visually perceived image that differs from reality.” (Eifrig, 2014, n.p.). There are so many different types of optical illusions in which play with the brains of people. Optical illusions are normal because the majority of humans experience them. Humans’ vision tries its best to figure out what is happening to the picture, which then creates an image contradicting reality. Sometimes illusions can be entertaining because it fools the brain and one tries to figure out the image shown. Illusions cannot only be in a form of art but sometimes it happens whenever reading something without putting much effort.

There are times when correlation between variables appears to present an obvious causal relationship, however, it is irresponsible for both researchers and the news media to produce predictions without looking for alternate factors. A good example is decades of reporting on the relationship between single-mother households (independent variable) and rising crime rates (dependent variable). The preceding example was explored by Philip Cohen (2012) in his article on the single mom and murder rate relationship during the 1990s, in which he noted, “I think single mothers—especially those who were raising kids back in the 1990s—deserve an apology from the conventional-wisdom purveyors of that time” (para. 2). Beginning with an exploration of the media’s interpretation of this relationship, I will also further examine the correct interpretation, and the policy implications of Cohen’s finding.

If we selected two individuals from around the world they would likely be just as similar as two individuals living in the same country. The greatest level of genetic diversity is in Sub Saharan Africa. This is likely because humans originated from this region and have lived there the longest, leading to greater genetic variation than anywhere in the world.

A mirage is a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. Mirages appear at very low viewing angles, when you are far away. As you approach, the viewing angle increases and the mirage disappears, or moves farther away. The reflection of heat dissipates in the human eye causing the mirage or blur to vanish.

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For my Perceptual Illusion, I chose the Hermann grid. Although, we have some information in the textbook, I chose this illusion, because it intrigued me the most; while learning about it in the textbook and also seeing it again in the optical illusions by Michael Bach.

The line separating reality and the illusion of reality is a blur. The line separating the narrator’s self-aware expression and his story telling is a blur. The line separating Ambrose and the narrator is a blur. All of this may blur understanding. It is clear, however, that these blurs exist because of the “funhouse”. A funhouse, Lost in the funhouse, in which exist other funhouses. Various funhouses exist in the story and in the writing. For this reason, the title Lost in the funhouse is very significant.

The concept of reality is exceedingly difficult to pin down. It appears to be obvious that the room one is in is there, but upon further inspection, one may realize that it is not that simple. One is tempted to believe that there is an objective reality around them that does not change. However, the fact that one’s perception of the room around them is subjective, and the colors and shapes change as the lighting and position of the viewer does, casts this idea into doubt. What reason does one have to believe that their perception is not an illusion?

Thirdly, Vincent van Gogh’s series of self-portraits is evidence that the artist sees deeply within himself and then can reflect his self-awareness onto his portraits (MacTaggart 1). The paintings are an example that reflects the assertion that the Lady of Shallot is the emblem of artist’s portrayal of reality. Van Gogh perceives his mentality and emotions as energetic rhythmic waves that is imperceptible in reality. A specific example, the most intense self-portrait in art history, “Self Portrait: Saint- Saint-Rémy” by Van Gogh was painted shortly after he left the asylum. Inside the artist’s mind, Van Gogh is depicted still fighting his inner demons. (MacTaggart 1). Supporting the analysis, Van Gogh portrays his energetic turmoil by creating

The only thing in my life that I can be positive about is change. Everything changes, from the moment we’re born to the moment we die. Reality has many twist and turns, and our perception of reality is what shapes us to become who we are. Our life is spent on deciphering the difference between reality and not reality. This is hard to define because reality is unique to each individual.

This study was all over visual illusion. The experimenters wanted to figure out if rhesus or capuchin monkeys saw the “Delboeuf Illusion” in the same perception as humans do. In experiment one, the task was to choose the larger of two dots, which sometimes had rings around them. Humans had evidence of the illusion, yet the monkeys did not. In experiment two, the two groups were required to classify a dot by its size: small or large. The “Delboeuf illusion” was found in both species this time.

Visual illusions are a phenomena that arise from misperception of the observed object’s properties. Visual illusions allow us to study the difference between the objective reality and our interpretation of the perceived visual stimuli or the way our brains process visual information, in order to develop a general understanding of our visual system (Carrasco, 1986); In spite of the relevance of this issue, general concensus is yet to be reached on the origin of such phenomena

Perception of the world around, as well as the perception of mind, is a very complex notion to grasp. Epistemology is the study of knowledge, with regard to methods, as well as what differentiates belief from opinion. This study is especially important when discussing Dharmakīrti and knowing where his concern resides. Dharmakīrti, a 7th-century Buddhist scholar and founder of philosophical logic in India, was very concerned with how we perceive things to how we interpret them into knowledge. For perception to be a universal, it must be completely non-conceptual. Perceptions are also negotiated about within different schools of Buddhism, such as the Samkhya, Nyāya, and Abhidharma. Perception is inherently reflexive.

Optical illusions are made because our minds are not capable of viewing the two pictures or same cuts at one time. They use color and light to mess around with our brain, therefore creating the so-called illusion. It does not really have to do anything with the optics, but it more of the brain itself. The different responses of the brain attract the observer making them think about the hidden image. Optical illusions also have been around for a long time. Some examples like W.E.