Can you trust your own mind?

(Click on picture to enlarge it.)

Look at the squares marked 'A' and 'B'. Do they appear to be different colors? If someone told you that both squares were, in fact, the SAME color would you believe it? At first, I thought it was a practical joke, something that only appeared to be a classic optical illusion. It was clear to me that it was a checkerboard tiled with squares of obviously different colors. The colors were not even remotely close to being the same. Isn't that what you see? But I knew that the green cylinder was not there arbitrarily. It serves a very important purpose. Do you know what that is? Still not convinced? Ok, do this: Get a piece of paper (preferably dark) and punch two small holes in it which are as far apart as the letters 'A' and 'B' on your screen. The holes should be big enough so that you can see the letters but nothing else. Hold the paper up to the screen and align it so that the letters can be seen through the holes. Now press the SEND FAX key on your keyboard. (Sorry, just kidding.) Seriously, now look at the colors of the 'A' and 'B' squares. Are they different now? What changed, the image or your perception of the image?

This demonstration is an excellent reminder that our perception of the universe may not always be aligned with the truth (or reality). Before the trick of this example is explained, most people probably would not question what their eyes were telling them. In the everyday world it would be almost impossible to function if we had constant doubts about the reality of everything before our eyes. The mind evolved to accept (most of the time) the perception of a situation without question. Early man could not afford hesitate in thought when hunting animals for food.

It is a humbling experience to be fooled when we think we are smart. What else has fooled us...? If no one tells us, how will we ever know? The scientific method used today was established for that very reason. Always good to have another set of eyeballs looking over your shoulder... just in case.