BRAIN X REALITY ENGINE

What we perceive has little relation to reality, argues Professor Donald Hoffman.

Our perceptions — what we see, hear and feel — have little to do with reality, a prominent vision scientist argues.

These perceptions are, in fact, like the screen of our phone or computer, says Professor Donald Hoffman.

What appears on the screen of a phone bears little relation to what is going on inside the machine: the reality of semiconductors and electrons.

In some ways, the internal mechanics of our technology do not matter to us.

What matters is the result: how to send a text message or block a call.

One example of how our mind does not perceive reality is a visual illusion like this one:

The image is flat and does not move, yet most people see a 3D image, parts of which definitely appear to be moving.

(If you do not see any movement, try moving your eye around the image, you should see something then.)

We call the image an ‘illusion’, but what if all of what we see is like this illusion?

Professor Hoffman believes that what we perceive as reality is really only designed to help us survive.

Our brains are tools that allow us to work out what to approach and what to avoid.

If the brain senses a snake, it tells us not to pick it up.

We do not need to see or understand the reality of the snake to survive; we only need to know that we should avoid it.

Our brains are ‘reality’ engines, Professor Hoffman says, continuously manufacturing our experience:

“I’m interested in understanding human conscious experiences and their relationship to the activity of our bodies and brains as we interact within our environment—and that includes the technical challenge of building computer models that mimic it, which is why I’m working on creating a model that explains consciousness.”

In many ways, our perceptions hide the truth of reality from us to help us survive, Professor Hoffman says.

The fundamental nature of reality is, in fact, consciousness, Professor Hoffman believes.

Although, of course, that is rather difficult to prove.

The ideas are discussed in Professor Donald Hoffman’s book “The Case Against Reality“.