How Our Senses Deceive Us

Can we unconditionally trust our senses and what we see? Since Homo sapiens appeared on earth, natural selection has favored distorted perception of reality for the sake of survival and reproduction. How can it be possible that the world we see is not objective reality? We see a speeding car, but do not run across the road in front of it; we see mold on bread, but do not eat it. According to the author, all these impressions are not objective reality. The consequences of such perception are enormous: designers create more visually pleasant silhouettes, and certain colors are used in advertising campaigns to capture our attention. Only by distorting reality can we easily and safely navigate the world. Donald David Hoffman is an American cognitive psychologist and author of popular science books. He is a professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, combining work in the departments of philosophy and logic. His research in the fields of perception, evolution, and consciousness has received the Troland Award from the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.