brains, wives and hats

I read it again, and I was fascinated like the first time 20 years ago. By the stories, the reflections, and by the deviant definition we use of "normality" or "genius". The triviality with which we dismiss weird behaviour as an indication of deficit rather than a window over the potential of our scattered perception of the universe.

I'm especially fascinated by the "savants", those people with the exceptional abilities to draw, remember, reproduce, and much more "see" the beauty and harmony of music and numbers.

Their stories, paired with those of the people who have lost the ability to recognise objects, or faces, or the existence of left altogether, hint that our selective faculties for perceiving the world may have left out a lot of possibilities, which may be selectively developed where other faculties are underdeveloped. 

Is that not fascinating? The only thought of a whole new way to perceive the world, of a series of "haha" moments beyond our reach is tantalizing. 

The closest I remember having come to those moments has been associated with suddenly "seeing" stereograms of 3D pictures by crossing my eyes. Can't even start imagining what perceiving music and numbers as a whole means. And going beyond, what sensing new facets of the world would be. 

redefining reality

Beau Lotto's illusions and his street science somehow redefine what is reality, and how being part of the ecology of the systems we observe, we can't really separate ourselves from them. These are powerful examples of how much our past shapes our perceptions and therefore our judgments. I'm thinking of using some of these examples for either the lesson on Situation Awareness or a new lesson on Cultural influences.