It is always interesting to see examples on how our minds work and how easy it is to link this behavior to our development and evolution in a logic way.

I believe that there is much truth to the saying: “The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know”
By getting educated you realize both how much knowledge there is in the world and how complex the world is. You realize that if you get a new idea or a theory, it is extremely likely that somebody have got the same idea before you and already tested it. If you never heard of the idea or theory before, it is extremely likely that it was false. Therefore you get in some way also skeptical when other people have ideas. I think therefore that it is not a coincident that skepticism increases with level of education.

Consider the question, “Why, given the fact that human beings have so much potential, so much intelligence… our cultures are so amazingly diverse and creative and our technology so advanced… Why are we committing species suicide by destroying the habitability of our planet?

Shermer’s lucid and highly relevant talk, using the powerful tool of scientific method as a means of examining the characteristics of our own mind and brain, give us a verifiable and objective answer to this question.

That answer is that human awareness is flawed and has become dysfunctional in the modern era. Sherner clearly delineates the nature of those flaws. Once we are aware of this, we can take action to ameliorate the destructive impact of those flaws in our awareness. This is liberation and freedom from ancient bondages and a small chance for our species to pull out of our nosedive before we drill a big hole.

In my business I have studied a lot of that stuff, however I still love to see the illusions  created by context, and how fun it is to experience first hand with simple exercises.

I was under the impression, prior to this talk, that our cones got over-excited when we stared at the dot between the two colors, and that it was the slow recess of that excitement that caused the color illusion  to persist. But his explanation is much more consistent with the other experiments, showing that it is a result, not of weak hardware, but of extremely powerful software, as the brain steps in to tweak the info according to what it has inferred from the past. Scary stuff.

This talk is about optical illusions , but really, it is about how the brain works. Remember how the speaker explains that “context” is everything? Read the book “Management Rewired ” by Charles S. Jacobs, the book explains how to achieve and create “illlusions” in the corporate environment in order to get people to “see” what you want them to “see” by using stories to rewire the brain’s context. The more you repeat the story and reinforce it, the more it conditions the mind, just like what happened with the white dot between the green/red boxes.

This talk left me wanting much more about implications, consequences et al; this desire is both a good and a bad thing!

This is a Right Brain vs Left Brain test. Do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CEr2GfGilw

If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa.

Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it. Personally I tried it and I can switch back between clock wise and anti clock wise. I focus on the feet and the shadow to do that.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

• uses logic
• detail oriented
• facts rule
• words and language
• present and past
• math and science
• can comprehend
• knowing
• acknowledges
• order/pattern perception
• knows object name
• reality based
• forms strategies
• practical
• safe 

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

• uses feeling
• “big picture” oriented
• imagination rules
• symbols and images
• present and future
• philosophy & religion
• can “get it” (i.e. meaning)
• believes
• appreciates
• spatial perception
• knows object function
• fantasy based
• presents possibilities
• impetuous
• risk taking