Jump to content

Cool sensory confusion tests


Kevin Beal

Recommended Posts

I find this subject matter very interesting and have read a good number of books on the subject. The book Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow being a great one as it talks about what comes very easily for humans, and what does not. I find this sort of information useful as it allows me to be aware of where my senses and thinking is likely to be mislead.

 

Though I am rather annoyed with the current skeptic movement to invalidate the senses and almost any reasoning. It is in many ways a continuation of skeptic philosophy from over 2000 years ago, though it at least has physics and science as a basis.

 

It may sound strange, but I feel as though the large amount of focus on how the human brain can be very faulty is intended to counteract a large amount of the current culture. The significance of the findings are overstated because of general distaste for those who never question their thoughts and perceptions. In an IFS sort of way, when a part of the culture is out of whack, another part is created with an equally extreme opposing agenda to balance things out.

 

I find myself in a difficult spot as I really like hearing about these experiments and ideas, but I also hate hearing people drone on about how humans are so stupid, and how our cognitive biases disallow us from doing anything sensible.

 

Personally, I am not as prone to many cognitive biases, and it may be because I've taken an interest in them since I was seven. In reading various books with tests, it isn't that I am always right, but rather that I pass a lot of the tests and the ones I don't I tend not to guess on because I just feel unsure. Statistical thinking is something I am very good at for whatever reason. Ironically I am pretty bad with math ones, like the classical ball and bat question.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.