Consciousness, Illusions

  Yet Another Illusion This is a sequel to my earlier blog,  Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde : Consciousness and how we “see” things Here, I give yet another amazing illusion, and then attempt to provide the "explanation" for this -- and based on this, suggest the way in which our cognition works. Observe the figure below:- a) You see a number of pink dots arranged in a circle. These dots would seem to blink in a sequential fashion, giving the impression of clockwise rotation.   b) Now, stare at the the black  +  in the center, and you get to see the "moving" dot as green!   c) Keep looking at black  +  . After a short period of time, the pink dots will slowly disappear one by one, and you will only see a single green dot rotating!   Amazing, right? What is the explanation? Try making a few guesses before you proceed to read my explanation....        My explanation:-   a) There are 12 pink dots...

  Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde : Consciousness And How We “See” Things Robert Louis Stevenson addressed the theme of split personality in his work, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". The story revolves around a respected scientist, Dr. Jekyll, who (by consuming a potion) creates an alternate personality for himself -- that of the cruel and animalistic Mr. Hyde. The story line is so impressionable that the very phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" has come to signify bipolar behavior by a single individual. The "illusion" that I give below reminds me of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.     If you watch the  two  faces from your seat in front of the computer,  Mr.Angry  is on the left, and  Mrs.Calm  is on the right.  Get up from your seat, and move back  12  feet, and PRESTO!! they switch places!! What is significant is not merely that the two faces switch from being "angry" to being "calm".   In the "angry" face, the...