What are we???

Ok, so this is an interesting topic for discussion... not that I believe it but its interesting to think about. Sitting in my philosophy class we were studying what people believe we are and are our lives already made etc... So we're reading about this guy who had this strange idea of what are we? Because he says the only reason we "know" what we are and what we look like is because thats what our senses say. So if we can see something thats not there or have a trick played on our senses because we think something... Then how do we know what we actually look like? So you can feel yourself... Well you can mistake how something feels simply by your perception of what it should feel like. So simply how do we know what we are... Like I said I dont think this is true but its neat to really think about it. What's your opinion?

[Chez Daja]

An interesting topic here.

The senses are basic and intricate all at once. For example, the eyes are visual recepters which don't work until the imagery has been sent to the brain, where it is then broken down and deciphered into what an object or person "supposedly" looks like.

Just say... I was in a room with a friend. We're both looking at the same object, from almost the exact same angle. Just say it's a ball, sitting atop of a table. We see exactly the same thing. The shadow is placed in the exact same place because of how we are standing. Just say, my friend stands at the opposite side of the room and looked at the ball. It could be bigger or smaller, depending on if he is closer or further from the object to me.

Now we've covered that... do my friend and I see the same thing in the object? What is our intrepretation on the specific object? It could be the same, or it could be different.

That is the difference in our minds. We were given at birth the ability of have our own thoughts, therefore making us capable beings with a right to our own opinions and status.

Our senses are what we are, without them, we would not be able to hear, see, touch, taste or smell anything. We wouldnt be able to walk or talk, because we wouldnt know we or anybody else existed.

We know what we are because of what we have all been taught to believe.

I hope that helped.

I kinda thought of this too, and relating to Chez Daja's comment. I mean, do we all see the same colours?? Sure we can all tell what is red, blue and whatever, but say my perception of red is blue in your eyes but u call it red. Its kinda difficult to explain but I hope i got the gist of it across.

I understand what you are saying Pie man...We are all told that black boards are black, but the black that I see may be yellow to someone else. (that is to say if they saw the color I saw, they would recognize it as yellow instead of black.) Perhaps I was way off here, but anyway, on with the thread.

Everything we see and touch are all just electrial signals (relatively), so I am sure that we all interpret them differently. Perhaps this is part of the reason some people are more artistic. anywayz...

[Angantyr]

That is exactly what I was thinking pie man 360, actually I've thought about that a lot, I don't think it depends on eye colour though as some people have say 1 green eye and 1 blue eye and have never mentioned it. But what if that is true for everybody, I mean, honestly who knows. That would explain a lot of racial differences as the genes stay in the same bloodline.

So it makes me wonder, what if the way I hear a rap song, to you sounds like a Metal song? I can completely understand feelings but on the senses as well... interesting topic, makes me wonder.....

[Joe]

we are human beings not stupied monkeys

[OneWinged Angel]

We Are God's To Other Lifeforms But Insests To Others Just Depends On Which Way You Look At It

OneWinged Angel (Sephiroth)

Winter, thats just right. Our senses may pick up the same signals but our brains interpret them differently.

The brain is a very powerful tool in our heads. When we are babies, we see everything upside down because our brain thinks that is right. This is due to the image on the retina is upside down due to the crossing of light-rays through the pupil. It is only when babies start using their other senses (particularly touch) that the brain begins re-interpreting the data and turns the image round. This happens when we are very young so we don't remember it. But even then, the likely hood of us noticing at that age is unlikely. Of course, this is just a theory but it is a well-known fact that the brain starts figuring out how to interpret all the impulses from the senses from a very early age. It is incredibly likely that our brains make slight alterations to these interpretations.

[Leviathan]

Originally Posted by Joe

we are human beings not stupied monkeys

Whereas you are somewhere between.

I did a lot of thinking over this a few years back, if i see the colour green, but to someone else their version of green is actually what i know to be blue.

Tis an interesting topic indeed.

Yeah i think this is a very interesting Topic.

I had this same thought a while back and could work anything out and everything i thought of was weird and a little disturbing.

What if we see someone to be really Hot and Sexy looking but they could actually be old and Crinkly Ugly people.

The World is weird that way. No-One will ever know the answer to this Fascinating Subject and if they did no-one who ever understad it, not even the person who got the answer.

Like i said, WEIRD.

Originally Posted by ffxjunky

What if we see someone to be really Hot and Sexy looking but they could actually be old and Crinkly Ugly people.

Umm, I agree with you to some extent, but in terms of physical shape, no. Every brain interprets shape the same as any other brain would. No one can change the light rays bouncing off the object into our eyes and interpret them differently. A cube to me will be a cube to you definately. An old person to me will DEFINATELY be an old person to you.

If you are also commenting on what we find attractive, I must again disagree. Whilst we all have our basic tastes (big tits, nice ass etc.), it boils down to instinct. A recent study showed that men find women with nice hips and ok body mass to be the most attractive not only because they look good, but because of basic reproductive instinct. It is a well known fact that bigger hips (not enormous, but i digress) can support a growing unborn child better and it is this that relates this to men. And thus, a man finds these traits attractive. I'm not saying this is DEFINATE, but its general. The study showed that men find women who are perfect for having a child grow in them generally more attractive, though not always.

Of course, the study might be wrong, but it does make sense.

[Yuki-onna]

Yeah. Instincts count for a lot. I always wonder what the heck the other 90% of my brain is doing most of the time. Sure, there's things to arrange, cells to make, senses to be interpreted, blabla. What's "my" 10% up to?

The body is a giant chemical process constantly renewing itself...in how many ways am I really me? How far is my personality determined by my body and, what the heck is left of me if you take away the emotions and feelings the body gives? If you even believe in such a thing as a spirit or soul.

Am I a puppeteer of my body or is my mind and self awareness a mechanism of the body to better ensure my survival? Does anything at all remain when I die?

Oh the confusion, Joe. It'd melt your face.

[Removed]

I'm studying Philosophy too and will be interested in contributing to this topic.

But I'm stupid and haven't figured out how to subscribe without posting to a thread.

I'll edit this post later after I'm feeling more coherent with what i really want to say in it, and use this posting/auto subscription to keep track of the topic.