This is more philosophical than biological. Imagine a modern astronomer sitting on a hillside watching the sun come up. Next to him sits a 7th-Century stargazer. Do they see the same thing? (Not my question, but I've long forgotten where I read it. And, curiously, "watching the sun come up" reflects what the medieval guy would see, not the modern astronomer.)

The physical things that are happening in their visual pathways are the same, but I don't believe they see the same thing. We see what we know. Likewise, I believe, we "think" what we know.


"I don't know which is worse: ignorance or apathy. And, frankly, I don't care." - Anonymous