What we see, and then, what we know through memory…become individual experience
Deng Ming-Dao
26 September 2019
WE ONLY SEE IN PIECES
We can only see a limited amount at a time.
First, we cannot process what our eyes see while in motion. This is called saccadic masking. The brain selectively blocks visual processing during eye movements. Neither the motion of the eye, the motion blur of the image, or the gaps in visual perception are noticeable to the viewer. This was first described by Erdmann and Dodge in 1898. Anyone can demonstrate this for themselves by facing a mirror and looking from one eye to the other. The viewer will never see their own eyes move, but another person will see the motion of the viewer’s eyes.
Second, there’s focus. If you’re looking from a near distance, you can’t see what’s far away at the same time. If we’re gazing at a friend, we don’t notice what’s behind them unless it suddenly seizes our attention.
Many other issues follow: light and dark, flickering light, not being able to see during sleep, the grand number of things that cannot be seen without a microscope on one hand, or a telescope on the other, and so on. Yet we know that time and events continue on even while our attention is diverted elsewhere.
While we take in as much information as we can through our senses and our explorations, it isn’t enough. We have to rely on our education, on our media, on what other people say, on our language and numbers, and on our memories. We can never know everything at once. We have to internalize it, process it, and then create a coherent world view in our minds.
All that we know is a patchwork glued together with supposition, theory, and memory. Let us not pretend that any of us know the absolute truth. While we function superbly, it is always provisional and imperfect. That’s why it’s not a science of living, but an art.