# Illusions



## rojo (May 26, 2006)

Sometimes, things are not what they seem, or how they seem.











Makes one think about how easy it is to perceive things as completely different than they really are.

Feel free to post more illusions. 

(The user who uploaded the first video in this post has lots of other cool stuff on his channel.)


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

At least in a way of thinking, there are illusions in music too. Or maybe they are allusions. Is music that 'shimmers' an illusion, or an allusion to, say, light reflecting from rippling water? Is a 'false fugue' an illusion?

Sorry _Rojo_, sometimes I have to follow these ephemeral 'connections' before they disappear.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Dan Dennett makes a good case for such illusions being important in our understanding of consciousness. They are insights into the fact that our brains are a box of magic tricks, and that we don't view the world as it is, only as it is usefully seen given our evolutionary history.


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## rojo (May 26, 2006)

Hilltroll72 said:


> At least in a way of thinking, there are illusions in music too. Or maybe they are allusions. Is music that 'shimmers' an illusion, or an allusion to, say, light reflecting from rippling water? Is a 'false fugue' an illusion?
> 
> Sorry _Rojo_, sometimes I have to follow these ephemeral 'connections' before they disappear.


No need to apologize Hilltroll72, especially about following connections. I follow them all the time. So by all means, connect away. 

I suspect that there are both allusions and illusions in music. Which is which (or whether they're both) depends on the listener, perhaps? I like your example of reflections of light shimmering on water. Music by Debussy comes to mind.



Polednice said:


> Dan Dennett makes a good case for such illusions being important in our understanding of consciousness. They are insights into the fact that our brains are a box of magic tricks, and that we don't view the world as it is, only as it is usefully seen given our evolutionary history.


Polednice, I will watch the vid shortly, but your post reminds me of some documentary I saw about scientists dealing with particles, waves and their behaviour. Apparently results of experiments can turn out differently depending on if there is actually someone watching them or not.

Just noticed, the vids show a checkerboard and a white rabbit (or duck.) There are surely connections that can be made there..


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

One illusion I can think of is that when you look at your hand against a plain surface (a white wall for example) if your eyes are relaxed enough you can see a faint ghostly outline around it. This is purported by some to be an emission of the "human aura", an array of energy that humans give off.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

violadude said:


> One illusion I can think of is that when you look at your hand against a plain surface (a white wall for example) if your eyes are relaxed enough you can see a faint ghostly outline around it. This is purported by some to be an emission of the "human aura", an array of energy that humans give off.


Yeah - and I wish the emission would stop; I need all my energy to stay with me. There are books about that aura; by Edgar Cayce maybe?


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