"Seeing" with your mind

[spaceboots06]

Had an interesting discussion with a friend today,

He thought that one could make up, with their mind, what a sense would be like. I thought one could not. You can't imagine how the smell of a cookie would be by looking or touching it. Or someone's defecation for that matter.

We went from that to what a blind person might see in a dream to how functional a brain would be if one was born without any senses at all.

I think the most interesting thing that was discussed was the last part, so, do you think someone's mind would be at all functional without any senses? We both eventually agreed on the same thing, that without senses, one's mind would be useless. He at first thought that someone without any senses could make things up, but I countered his argument that nothing could be made up because there's no data in one's brain to make things up from.

Sorry if what I've written is a little unclear.

What do you think?

 

[TwinCities Dan]

Were you high during this conversation?

 

[Koodauw]

Yall can't see me now you cuz you don't see with your eyes you perceive with your minds

 

[yojitani]

Try reading some Daniel Dennet as well as the writings of Helen Keller if the topic interests you.

 

[shivermetimbers]

Were you high during this conversation?

Hahahahaha!

In all seriousness, I know a lot of people that are hearing impaired. Their other sense's are hightened to an extent. Cant hear someone pounding on the door but they can feel it. They are also quicker to pick on things visually than your average joe-schmo.

If you have zero senses, your mind would still be functional. You have awareness and should have dreams of some sort....whether they would be understood is questionable.

 

[spaceboots06]

Were you high during this conversation?

Haha, no. But the train of though sure seems like it.

Initially we thought that the blind would have dreams of very bland things in terms of sight, like solid shades of colors while they hear things. We came to the conclusion that those colors would come from their childhood though, when they perhaps could see.

But if the sense was never present, well, we couldn't really say.

Yall can't see me now you cuz you don't see with your eyes you perceive with your minds

The future is coming on.