As if I didn't already spend a lot of time doubting my perceptions, this article from last week's New Yorker has convinced me, all over again, that most of what every one of us considers "real" is, as they say in the article, "the best possible story" our brains can come up with.
It's a long article, but well worth reading. Stick with it because at the very end there's a bit about Brian Eno wrangling a bunch of drummers so that the scientists can see if their brains are truly different than everyone else's (because their sense of timing is so precise). Guess what? Drummers' brains ARE different. Very cool.
The current trend in neuroscience, to think of the brain as plastic, (i.e. changeable, adaptable, an organ that can re-route as necessary to get its job done), is a very good thing, the best possible story to describe how the grey goop inside our skulls functions. Only a few years ago, we thought of the brain as a hardwired machine, a point of view that didn't give us a lot of wiggle room in terms of function, yes? Now that our brains are officially plastic (according to the people who study brain function), so many more things are possible. Just since the shift in the way we think about the brain, scientists and doctors have begun to notice that allegedly brain-dead patients might not be, and have found ways to help people who suffer from all manner of neurological disorders by re-routing their neural networks. I don't think it's a coincidence; I think the change in our baseline assumptions about the brain allowed those people to open their eyes, to think outside the hardwired box.
All I'm saying is, since we create reality by editing and judging sensory input, why not give ourselves as much space to evolve and adapt as possible, eh? Why not?
I wonder about the brain chemistry of the birthers, who will not, who can not, apparently, think of our president as a citizen of the United States. What is going on in their neural networks? Where's the road-block? The blind spot? It's interesting - and creepy - to think about.
No matter how you see the world, no matter how sure you are that you found your fourteen year old cat, for instance, cultivate a light-hearted skepticism. Take it all with a grain of salt. Yes? I say yes.
19 comments:
COOL post, ULTRA-COOL photos!
I loved that article. Did you know that science has learned that dancers, too, have a highly developed part of the brain located in the forecenter of the brain not seen in the general public? It's responsible for learning complex combinations of movement. Seems people need to begin learning at an early age for this part of the brain to develop to the stage required for high levels of dance performance.
The brain is the most miraculous gift...plastic, indeed.
If we are to get out of knotted up mess of problems we've created for ourselves, we will most certainly need to stop with the birther nonsense and call upon that plasticity. Soon.
Yikes...that hanged man is scary. Guess I won't say, "Hang in there".
What a great article... I sure want to read more of this guys work. It brings a whole new spin to consenual reality - this delay and the grain putting everything together for us - how much does it edit to make things fit together nicely for us?
we do create our own reality and our belief system is inherent in what we create. wouldn't it be cool to be able to see through another person's eyes, to see if they see the same thing as you. wow. how eye opening would that be if you looked out the eyes of someone else and saw something very different. the rigid parameters of science prevent so many things from being 'seen'. nice that the hard lines are getting blurry.
Yet another awesome Reya post! AND your photos- DROOL!
The more learned for the brain the better, getting stuck in thoughts, dogma, illusion, ego whatever retards the dendrites from reaching out to one another is the tough part- the single mindedness narrow thought that seems to pool people together in a sort of belonging tribe- dumb as they are- "birthers" Pu-leaze! Religions are the same sort of "answer" separating one from "the other"... a pretense of knowing.
Plastic, after all, is good.Just when you think you know something think again.
Fascinating information and the accompanying photo is perfect for your post. Your photos have totally changed the way my brain looks at cars.
Perfect photos for this post. That article: wow! I learned a new word (palimpsest), and thought the exploration of time and memory was wonderful. The term "possibilian" might just catch on.
Kerry I just switched my religion, on Facebook, to Possibilian. Oh yeah.
Jo the Hanged Man isn't a scary energy, but we've all been there, yes? Hanging, hanging, upside down, unhurt, well meaning ... but hanging. Sigh ...
Rose I've ordered Eagleton's book of short stories. Can't wait to read it.
Ellen I think about how, during police investigations, for instance, every witness tells a different story. Rashamon is "true." It is!
Linda Sue - in the present moment, we believe ourselves to be right about everything. It's kind of aproblem. Human consciousness!
Haven't had a chance to read the article, but this conversation reminds me of Thomas Kuhn's discussion of paradigm shifts in science. In brief, scientists work within a paradigm, a world view based on all learning up to a given point. This paradigm, like all paradigms, has anomalies that cannot be explained. Each individual scientist deals with anomalies in his or her own way, but as anomalies build in significance, which they invariably do, reaching a critical mass that cannot easily be ignored or explained away, a crisis occurs in which new ideas are put forth to explain the anomalies, formerly rejected theories are reexamined, and eventually a new paradigm emerges. There is inevitably a battle between proponents of the old and proponents of the new, and sadly the new paradigm really only becomes the accepted paradigm as the proponents of the old die off, so strongly do they believe in the old.
The larger point is that even the most logical, meticulous scientist is operating within a world view that is perceived, not absolutely real. It is the best worldview that can be made from what has been learned to that point, but it is still based on perception. I should note that Kuhn did not seek not to defend relativism, but rather to say that we have by no means learned all there is to know, and he concluded that each new paradigm is invariably superior to the old paradigm, if still containing anomalies.
Why am I talking about this? Because we should never sell short the capacity of the human brain to "think outside the box." As a species we have so very much yet to learn! And we have so much yet to explore. We have almost incomprehensible upside potential with our fabulous plastic brain. So for the love of all that is possible, can we please get on with learning and stop trying to destroy each other and our planet home?
Speaking of the possible, your second photo has captured a view of buildings as Frank Gehry apparently sees them. Maybe he was inspired long ago by looking at a building reflected on the roof of a car!
And to add to that, NPR had an interview with a woman reporting on neuroscience discoveries that our brains "peak" between the ages of 40-65!!! It was very in depth and the pod cast is worth finding and listening to. She did say they think our brains have evolved past what was once considered the beginning of mid life crisis, old age, etc.
reya i find the places where we (you know, like more than just one person) find a sort of agreement on something and we experience that tender synchronicity or that moment of insight where the agreed upon constructs waver or glitch out just enough for us to see beneath the very distracting beauty and wonder and amazement and there's an aladdin's cave of real jewels and treasures that compels the mind to step out of the box of its own construction (let's give ourselves a moment and wonder if the box constructs the parameters of mind) and expand right alongside the universe it's contained within. steven
Thank you so much for pointing-out this article. I now realise I'm a Possibilian! Atheist has always sounded all-knowing, agnostic has always sounded weak, but Possibilian is fantastic!
California Girl - I KNEW it - I knew that in middle age I am a whole hell of a lot smarter than I used to be. I'm not the first to discover it. I'm so glad that it has been scientifically documented!
I am definitely a Possibilian. Oh yeah.
Michael your explanation of paradigm shift sounds so like survival of the fittest - to me anyway. I don't think we're purposely destructive. We're trying to make ourselves comfortable, but it becomes a problem because of our opposable thumbs, big brains, and the fact that we have overpopulated at this moment in time.
Don't judge the members of your species, Michael. We are all of us doing the very best we can!
The bottom picture DOES look like a Frank Gehry! Very cool.
Wow--fascinating post & comments. I teach math to kids and adults who need high school equivalence certification, and I often work with people who don't believe that 7x7=49, or that the Bible was not originally written in English. (Black Hawaiian president? They won't buy that either.) It's not that they're stupid, or hateful. Most of them are really likeable. They seem to be scared of unfamiliar stuff, and don't want to look at it.
I generally focus on the math, which is scary enough, and leave politics and religion for some other time. After all, if people feel that 7x7 is unknowable, that's a profound topic right there.
It really is profound! Is it just 7x7 or does it apply to other calculations as well?
Reya, it's all sorts of calculations (especially percentages--people absolutely refuse to believe how interest on a loan works), but there's something special about 7x7. I mean, 49? Really?
In fact, it may be a contagious skepticism. I've had so many people take issue with 49 that it seems weird to me now, too.
wow! That IS weird.
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