The mind and the eyes

Always wondered if everyone sees in precisely the same way. As a metaphor, of course we don't - we have different opinions, different perspectives of life's events because of our different experiences.

But physically (and leaving to the side people with color-blindness!) - does everyone see the same red flower that I do? Or does someone see 'yellow' when I see 'red'? The same wavelengths of light hit our eyes in the same way, I suppose, but the nervous system or the brain can do peculiar things.

And the incredible thing, to me, is, that there seems to be no real way of knowing what other people see, metaphorically or physically.

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hartfire Best Comment

In a classical academic life-drawing class, it's easy to see what the students see when they look at the model.
There will be differences in skill and in angle of view, but anyone who looks at the drawing can see instantly what is on the page and how it compares to the model.

In an advanced class where all the students have excellent hand-eye coordination, it's easy to see that what we see from the same angle is the same.

The reason is optics. The lens and iris of the eye are mechanical. The nerves operate through biochemistry, which also operates through the laws of physics. so long as the physics are the same, so is what is perceived.

I used to have 25/20 vision. I now need glasses. What I now see is less precise in detail and the edges are slightly fuzzy if I am not wearing glasses. This has changed the way I draw, so that I put far more emphasis on light and shadow than on line - but I still see the same elements of the model's position, proportions, weight distribution, and specific characteristics.

ChampagneTraveller · 26-30, F

@hartfire That's a really interesting perspective (no pun is intended!). We see the same (all things being equal), perhaps on a mechanical and biochemical level. When students move beyond classical training, and depict more of the feelings and emotions of what they see...there are more variations I suppose.

hartfire

@ChampagneTraveller
Yes. How we feel about an object of perception varies. It will usually be attraction or aversion to varying degrees, but in rare instances it is neutral.
Usually, the feeling is related to our biological needs in the moment. Or the feeling can be a conditioned response based on many past experiences.
If I'm hungry, I will find an apple attractive. If I eat it, I will find it far more delicious when hungry because appetite sharpens the perceptions of taste and smell.

How we interpret our feelings is far more complex. If I'm obese, I might overeat in an attempt to temporarily soothe emotional distress, and then guilt trip over my weight issues. If I eat only Halal foods, I will interpret every act of eating through my commitment to surrender to what I consider to be the will of Allah.

hartfire

@ChampagneTraveller Thanks for the pick! :)

LondonCowboy · 51-55, M

@ChampagneTraveller In those variations the students become true artists 🌹