Layer 1. Personal Truth. Our Lies. Truth Part 2
Is this dress gold and white or blue and black? Perception and The Senses. Learn about how we lie to ourselves and why You should care.
Perception and The Senses
“There are no facts, only interpretations.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche
Truth always begins with a lie. So when people look at color, they interpret those colors inside their brains. However, color does not exist in the physical world. Instead, color is a wavelength of electromagnetic radiation that the human eye evolved to tune into. Based on the biological configuration of the eye, some people see colors differently than others.
For example, color-blind people might not be able to see hues of red or green, making everything appear universally shaded. And those who have Blue-Yellow deficiencies might see mostly reds or offsets of blue. Similarly, folks with achromatopsia can’t see any shade of color. (WebMD)
Regardless, the fact that color vision can change with an eye injury, glaucoma as we age, or brain trauma, further proves that color only exists within the mind. But even the general population can still disagree on certain shades of color. For example, many people who see color just fine still often can not agree on certain shades of blue and gold.
Some readers may recall the 2015 viral dress image that had people disputing over its real color. The viewer either saw it as gold and white or blue and black. Both groups of people were right about what color they saw. In contrast, both groups were also wrong about the color they perceived. But how can such a statement be true and false simultaneously? Especially if others see the dress as a different color than we see it ourselves. What is going on here?
In general, most people imagine a world that everyone sees, or should see, exactly like themselves. So when disagreements arise about how others view the world, a person can often default to believing that others are misinformed, crazy, or just plain stupid. However, that’s not the case. Instead, the one who is misinformed is the one who declares their opinion as a fact.
Many people who believe truth is black and white do what is called “splitting” in psychology. They hold that the world is divided into two categories and nothing else. This type of person may not fully understand the perception mechanisms of the senses. Or how the mind interprets perception as language in the mind and is then expressed as opinion, not fact. Splitting is often seen in people with borderline personality disorder, according to PrioryGroup.com.
Those who hold their opinions as self-evident truths can sometimes be the most dangerous in society. These personalities are usually synonymous with narcissism and are frequently seen in megalomaniacs. Genius-level Savants may also see the world through a split lens but usually have a low social IQ. Nonetheless, most people hold some form of splitting, but in less extreme manners. An attempt to make sense of confusion is a natural human trait. In other words, we lie to ourselves without realizing it.
Another example of perception, not Reality, is how we hear things. The mind can sometimes imagine what it wants to hear. The following video provides a perfect example of this. Press play and ask yourself if you hear brainstorm or green needle. Most people hear what they imagine the word to be. You can imagine either phrase, and you will surely hear that one. Give it a try.
So when it comes to personal truths, our senses feed us information from the outside world. Based on how our senses work and how we understand language and knowledge, we then absorb information based on expectation, not Reality. Frequently, we hear and see what we expect in our minds. In essence, we sometimes tell ourselves what we want to believe. While other times we are filling in gaps of missing data that does not exist in our minds. So we fill those missing gaps with the limited information that comes to mind.
In times of uncertainty, we can seek confirmation that our personal truths are correct. So when someone has a strong opinion about something, they usually look for other people or information that will agree with their beliefs. This is known as “confirmation bias,” and we are all guilty of using it sometimes.
“Search engines on the internet are the epitome of confirmation bias.”
— Neil deGrasse Tyson
Humans operate on comfort, and none of us are comfortable thinking we are crazy. So the best place to seek consolation is in others who agree with our ideas, even if the ideas are nonsense. And when enough people agree with each other, then a new layer of truth forms. This layer is called a group truth, also known as “political truth.”
This is a series piece 2 of 9. Below is the next article.
Layer 2. Political Truth. Their Lies. Truth Part 3 >>
Layer 2. Political Truth. Their Lies. Truth Part 3
Confirmation Bias. Why do we turn to others for confirmation? Learn about how political truths form from the herds…medium.com
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Philosophy of Truth & Reality Introduction. What is truth and how is it better understood?medium.com