A wise person was once asked about the most powerful human feature, and his answer was that it is the imagination. Our imagination always drives us far beyond our limitations.
Let me give you an example. We all know that the Wright brothers invented the airplane, but did you know that the first attempt to fly was made by Abbas Ibn Firnas, an Arabic scientist, in the year 875? He tried to copy how birds fly. But even before that, in the imaginary world of Greek mythology, Icarus escaped from his prison using wings made of feathers and wax. However, when he flew too close to the sun, his wings melted, and he fell.
Today, I’m going to talk about the opposite: the inability to visualise or have mental imagery.
Imagine an apple. What does it look like? What colour and shape is it? While many people can easily picture an apple, some cannot. This condition is known as aphantasia. It affects about one per cent of the population and means they cannot generate visual mental images. Surprisingly, most people with aphantasia still experience vivid dreams.
Our brains are incredibly complex, and aphantasia is just one of the many variations that make each of us unique. While aphantasia might make it harder to remember visual details or learn certain things, it doesn’t seem to limit overall success in life. It’s considered a normal variation of human experience, not a condition that needs treatment.
One fascinating aspect of aphantasia is how it relates to consciousness. In the 1970s, two Stanford researchers showed that people use visual representations in their thought processes. They asked participants to judge whether two 3D objects were the same or different. The more the objects were rotated, the longer it took to decide, suggesting people were mentally picturing and rotating the objects.
When people with aphantasia performed this task, they could still do it, often more accurately but more slowly than others. This suggests they use different strategies, like relying on abstract thinking rather than visualising the objects. This raises questions about how much conscious awareness is necessary for tasks we usually link to visual imagination.
The idea of ‘philosophical zombies’ comes into play here – could there be people who act normally without conscious awareness? While aphantasia doesn’t lead to such extreme conclusions, it does challenge our understanding of consciousness. It shows that people can complete tasks without visual imagination, much like computers solving problems mathematically without visualisation.
Aphantasia adds a unique piece to the puzzle of consciousness. We still have much to learn about both aphantasia and consciousness. This quirky phenomenon highlights the many individual differences that make each human mind unique. Understanding these differences helps us appreciate the complexity of consciousness and the many ways our minds work.
Now, let’s all picture a world where Palestine is free and that oppressive entity ceases its brutality against children, civilians and human rights. I can imagine it, can you? Until that dream comes true, let’s keep our imaginations flying high – just not too close to the sun!
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