Are you sure?
For most of us, our brains do an excellent job of shaping a somewhat consistent view of the world from the constant flood of sensory data. We seldom scrutinize this extremely creative process of “world creation” and instead take it for granted. How can be we be certain of what we know and believe?
The problem is that the brain can be a bit too creative at times. It can fabricate seemingly real memories and often emphasizes some aspects of experience while deemphasizing others to serve its (our) particular purposes. I recently saw a paper describing information processing biases in humans. It has some great information about many of the possible ways the brain puts a spin on the information it receives. Assuming there is some value in objectivity, I again wonder how can we know when we’ve biased our view of the world. One suggestion in the paper is a yearly review of potential biases. The challenge would be in identifying the biases for review. To us, the bias looks like reality rather than a possible cognitive distortion. Various practices exist to increase self awareness and intentionally create more internal feedback that could be used to highlight biased thought. I don’t the answer yet. This is still an open question for me.
What are your thoughts and biases on this topic?
About The Author
to know that what the brain receives is only what our senses deliver to it, is tantamount in starting the process of accurate data gathering. most prople seem to forget that sensory input is only that, that what we perceive is only our personal interpretation of what is called “world”, and is affected by our moods (brain chemistry), life experience, how we perceive ourselves, it is all relative to our personal identity. tibetan yoga and secret doctrines, a book by evans/wentz goes a long way towards breaking it down, some of the yogas described are extremely dangerous in practice, to the western mind in particular, because our sense of identity in the west is what needs to be irradicated in order to allow for accuracy of perception…we must detatch from our lower selves to “see” that duality is the problem, and that in fact everything is connected, and that which can see the truth within us is more than the individual as defined by western thought, complicated but worth checking out, i’m driven by accuracy and the need to perceive truth…
How do you know that the alternate perception resulting from breaking down our western sense of identity is more accurate? Dualism and a sense of individuality do not preclude an awareness of interconnection. Is interconnection the issue or is it the reality of the boundaries between perceived entities? Either way, there is research showing a relationship between parietal lobe functioning and a human’s personal perception of individuality. What if the Tibetan techniques have their affect on consciousness because of their influence on specific brain structures, especially those responsible for “recognizing” and consequently believing in the accuracy of our perceptions? Is it possible that the new perceptions are not more accurate but just feel much more “true”?