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The Objectivity Assumption: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Naive Realism2.png|alt=Naive Realism|thumb|'''Figure 1'''. Rene Descartes quote on Naive Realism]] | [[File:Naive Realism2.png|alt=Naive Realism|thumb|'''Figure 1'''. Rene Descartes quote on Naive Realism]] | ||
'''We often think what we | '''We often think what we perceive is an accurate, objective reflection of reality although it is a construct of our mind. This misperception is often call the "[[Bias Blind Spot|bias blind spot]]" or "naïve realism" and it is a prevalent [[Cognitive biases|cognitive bias]] in society.''' | ||
Contrary to | Contrary to the "''objective reflection''" assumption, perceptions are not precise copies of the world around us. Sensation is an abstraction, not a replication, of reality. The brain’s circuits construct an internal representation of external physical events after first analyzing various features of those events. When we hold an object in our hands, the shape, movement, and texture of the object are simultaneously analyzed in different brain regions according to the brain’s own rules, and the results are integrated into a conscious experience. | ||
The easiest example of this is colour perception. We can argue that colors are not real—they are “synthesized” by our brain to distinguish light with different wavelengths. While rods give us the ability to detect the presence and intensity of light (and thus allow our brain to construct the picture of the world around us), specific detection of different wavelengths through independent channels gives our view of the world additional high resolution. For instance, red and green colors look like near identical shades of grey in black and white photos. Why certain wavelengths are paired with certain colors remains a mystery. Technically, color is an illusion created by our brain. Therefore, it is not clear if other animals see colors the same way we see them. It is likely that, due to shared evolutionary history, other vertebrates see the world colored similarly to how we see it. But color vision is quite common across the vast animal kingdom: insects, arachnids, and cephalopods are able to distinguish colors. | The easiest example of this is colour perception. We can argue that colors are not real—they are “synthesized” by our brain to distinguish light with different wavelengths. While rods give us the ability to detect the presence and intensity of light (and thus allow our brain to construct the picture of the world around us), specific detection of different wavelengths through independent channels gives our view of the world additional high resolution. For instance, red and green colors look like near identical shades of grey in black and white photos. Why certain wavelengths are paired with certain colors remains a mystery. Technically, color is an illusion created by our brain. Therefore, it is not clear if other animals see colors the same way we see them. It is likely that, due to shared evolutionary history, other vertebrates see the world colored similarly to how we see it. But color vision is quite common across the vast animal kingdom: insects, arachnids, and cephalopods are able to distinguish colors. | ||