How the mind constructs reality
By Jimmy Henderson Hons (phil),MA (Psychology) FRC
‘A human being is part of
the whole, called by us 'universe,' a part limited in time and space. He
experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the
rest -- a kind of optical delusion of consciousness.’
Albert Einstein
It is a scientific fact that the human senses,
and biological processes of perception, are extremely limited. It is estimated
that the brain can only utilize 1/250 000th of the information
presented by the eye, and only 1/100th of that presented by the ear
(Jordaan at al 1982, p.317). So it seems that much of what is ‘out there’ is
not even consciously processed. In fact, it is generally accepted in
psychology, that, due to the processes of neural encoding and decoding that
take place at the sensory level, and extend to the areas of the brain
responsible for interpretation, what we actually see may not be a 100% accurate
picture of reality.
There are
many scientists, including Einstein, who believe that, when dissected, the physical
universe can be reduced to pure energy. They show that all material things are ultimately
composed of atomic and sub-atomic particles which are, in essence, little more
than wave-energy. However, once effectively bonded, these accumulations form complex
structures which we experience as solid through the medium of our senses, and our
minds then conclude this to be ‘real’.
Current scientific
research on the human visual processes clearly shows how the intensity and characteristics
of light-energy are translated into images through the action of certain areas
of the brain. Briefly, the
process is described as follows; reflected patterns of light and darkness enter
the eye and create a pattern on the retina which is transformed into electrical
potentials (‘action-potentials’) by receptor neurons. These potentials are transmitted
down the optic nerve and propagated further via a network of neurons to the
relevant areas of the brain where they are further processed. It is important
to note that a particular pattern of light entering the eye results in a specific
neuron firing pattern (code), which is later decoded by the brain to form a
‘reconstructed’ image in the mind. In other words, we are not seeing the world
as it really is, only as it is constructed in the mind.
Our minds are perfectly able to piece together all the
incoming sense-data to reconstruct a unified, coherent and convincing motion
picture which is reasonably representative of what is actually out there. In
fact, reality would be pretty confusing, colourless and dull if we did not
experience it as we currently do.
However, what
is interesting is the degree to which the mind is said to be active in creating
this sense of reality. In fact, psychological research shows how the mind is actually
able to augment incoming information as the result of pre-existing mental programmes
and processes. A simple example would be
the game played by children when they try to identify recognizable forms in
cloud formations. In this case, their minds often respond by allowing them to
see animals and other familiar objects in the shapes of the clouds. This principle
applies especially in situations where the mind has to rely on previous
experience and memory to identify and categorise objects or make sense of ambiguous
information.
Finally, what is also important is that most
of this activity is concluded at a subliminal level, and this underscores the
role of the unconscious mind in the processing of sensory information. It can also be seen that this same interpretation process can apply to feelings or sensory
impressions that may present themselves during highly subjective states of
mind.
Jimmy Henderson is a metaphysician and the author of a number
of books and articles on inner self-development. He has an Honours degree in
philosophy (metaphysics) and a Masters degree in Psychology. He is based in Durban ,
South Africa
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