What is perception, really? Philosopher Alva Noë on why perception is a puzzling phenomenon. ❍ Subscribe to The Well on YouTube: https://bit.ly/welcometothewell ❍ Up next: What is shared consciousness? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4wvSmqefyc Does perception exist outside of our own nervous system? Philosopher Alva Noë thinks so. We can visualize the back of a tomato, even if our eyes cannot see it. We aren’t offended by profane statements written in a language we aren’t fluent in. This is because our perception is based on more than our five senses; it relies on experience and context as well. Alva Noë unpacks this puzzle with a few examples, from being able to visualize things we are not looking at, to a phenomenon called “change blindness.” Ultimately, this information can be used to challenge our original understanding of perception, and can expand on the idea that the way one person assesses an object may not precisely match the assessment of another. Read the full video transcript: https://bigthink.com/the-well/what-is-perception ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ❍ About The Well ❍ Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds. So what do they think? How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions? Let’s dive into The Well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The Well on your favorite platforms: ❍ Facebook: https://bit.ly/thewellFB ❍ Instagram: https://bit.ly/thewellIG