Don't Panic.
Presentation formatted for desktop viewing
Click to progress content.
Key "l" for laser pointer.
Key "r" for reset slide.
Decoding Reality: Perceptual Illusion
What do neuroscientists actually do?
Marcus Shipp Image Marcus Shipp quote Clatyon Shipp Image Clayton Shipp quote
What does it mean to think?
Philosophers Image Philosophers Image
What is reality?
Reality Definition
"This whole thing is not the truth; it's a dumbed down graphical interface that allows us to inspect this vast social network, which is the reality."
-Donald Hoffman
Reality is not as it seems. (2019) Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Platos cave
Plato's Republic 514b-518d ("Allegory of the Cave")
Matrix Image Matrix Image Matrix Image Matrix Image
Are we in the Matrix?
Simulations Image Simulations Image Simulations Image Simulations Image
What is color?
visual wavelengths
Betts et al. (2022) Anatomy & Physiology 2e, Chapter 14. OpenStax
"There is no color in the external world; it is created by neural programs and projected onto the outer world we see."
Gouras P. Color Vision. 2005 in The Organization of the Retina and Visual System
"If seeing the truth was critical to keeping us alive, it would show us the truth. It turns out that it's not critical. In fact, seeing the truth gets in the way of doing what you need to do to stay alive."
Hoffman (2019) Reality is not as it seems. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Can we trust our sight?
Induced hallucinations paper
illusions Image illusions Image illusions Image illusions Image illusions Image
Is memory real?
false memories paper mandella effect mandella effect
Is time real?
dopamine time paper mice time jump paper
"The separation between past, present and future has only the importance of an admittedly tenacious illusion."
-Albert Einstein
Letter to a freind (1955)
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
-Douglas Adams
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Marvin background
"Transcranial brain stimulation methods, such as transcranial magnetic (TMS) and transcranial electric (TES) stimulation, have been extensively used in an effort to improve cognitive functions in humans."
Antal et al (2022) Non-invasive brain stim. and neuroenhancement. Clin. Neurophys.
brain enhancement paper TMS depression paper Political belief paper
Why should I care?
To figure out why one action is chosen over another, we need to fully understand the nature of the presented choices.
Anything we define as a "real" object is simply a collection of perceptual features represented in our brain, i.e. an illusion.
It's how these features are weighted together to create a unique internal state that leads to a choice.
Thanks to the
Kishida Lab!
And my family!
Which would you choose?
Questions??