Submitted by Simone Shane on Tue, 04/22/2008 - 1:34am.
I agree with you that any "limits" to our sight may indeed be in place so that we are not overwhelmed or confused by what we see. However, I'm still not sure if we should say that our sight limits our ability to perceive the world. I do believe that there has to be one universal state of our surroundings, making up what some may call the "real world". Indeed, our sight may not see this "real" world, but it does allow us to perceive some aspect of that true external world. This made me think whether seeing people or blind people have an advantage when trying to perceive the "real" world. That is, if we are limited by our sight because it provides us with a false reality, would a blind person, who does not have this false reality, have a better understanding of their "true" environment? I'm inclined to think not. Furthermore, a large part of me doesn't even think it matters that what we perceive is as close to real as possible. Seeing allows us to pick out aspect of our environment not available to someone who is blind and in that way our sight gives us an advantage in perceiving the world-or some aspects of it. Indeed, as you mentioned, any limits to our sight are only advantages. What we see may not be what is true "reality," but it is a constructive way for us to better understand that reality.
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Limit or Advantage?