The Paradox of Perception - SL#8

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~1.6 × 10⁻³³ cm is the resolution limit where the theory of spacetime stops making sense.

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Not because of weak tools but because it's the point where our scientific theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics contradict each other.

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Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t necessarily imply the falseness of space/time theory but rather its limits.

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Thus strongly suggesting that there is more to reality than spacetime.

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A reality we are incapable to break down with scientific theories.

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This goes against some researchers’ hypothesis: evolution should shape us for truth.

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But this claim has been debunked, for example in Donald Hoffman and Chetan Prakash’s paper: The Interface Theory of Perception: Natural Selection Drives True Perception to Swift Extinction

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In which he argues that our perceptual systems evolve not to picture reality accurately but, as Darwin’s theory of evolution implies, to provide a “user interface” prone to biological fitness.

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This is simply demonstrated in the animal world, with microbats (species of bat) for example:

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Because of their prey (moths, beetles, mosquitoes, etc.) and their environment (night hunters), microbats have evolved to rely less on sight.

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Instead, they emit ultrasonic calls and perceive the world through the returning vibrations.

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This way they are able to catch prey more easily (not like us trying to chase a mosquito at 1 a.m. with the lights on).

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This also could imply that even though we might be able to explain the reality we perceive, our scientific theories will comprehend 0% of the essence of reality.

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This raises a question: What does this mean for how we understand life?

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As Donald Hoffman said:

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“The world is far more interesting and varied than you can imagine.”

“Whatever reality is, it transcends everything you can possibly imagine.”

“Whatever you are, transcends any description.”

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P.S. If you are curious and want to dive deeper into this subject, I recommend starting with the podcast that inspired this letter, Donald Hoffman’s interview on The Diary Of A CEO (https://youtu.be/W0vTZrZny6A).

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All the best,

Hugo Ares,
Student of life.

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