07 MAY 2012 by ideonexus

 Optical Illusions are "Brain Failures"

Human perception is rife with ways of getting things wrong. We don't like to admit it, because we have a high opinion of our biology, but it's true. Here's an example: We've all seen drawings that create optical illusions. They're lots of fun, but they should actually be called "brain failures." That's what's happening—a failure of human perception. Show us a few clever drawings, and our brains can't figure out what's going on. We're poor data-taking devices. That's why we have science; tha...
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They demonstrate how imperfect our senses are and why we need science and scientific instruments to show us the way.