Seeing Through Illusions by Richard Gregory

Seeing Through Illusions by Richard Gregory

It looks so easy. Open your eyes, and immediately there is a world of objects in glorious Technicolour. It takes no time or effort - perception just happens. Or does it? Is it really that simple? As this book discusses, the more that has been discovered about the senses and the brain, the more we know that seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting depend on incredibly complicated physiology. Although we seem to experience objects quite directly this is not so: the brain still has to work out what is out there. It doesn't always guess right, then we have an illusion - striking and interesting happenings of the mind.This book is about the phenomena of perception. The first chapter covers the evolution of the sense organs, including Darwin's initial reluctance to accept that natural selection could have 'designed' structures as complicated as eyes or other sense organs. Chapter 2 explains how perception actually works, and in particular how the brain interprets perceptual information. Chapter 3 focuses on the phenomena of illusions as keys for unlocking secrets of perception. The final chapter looks at the special case of pictures such as drawings and painting and how the brain interprets them as representing objects. This is an intriguing and engaging account of how we perceive the world around us.

A continuing delight in intriguing scientific phenomena is apparent throughout, communicated in lucid prose and enlivened by Gregory's customary wit..The book is a kaleidoscope of fascinating information. John M. Findlay, Times Literary Supplement

Richard Gregory is Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Bristol, and a Fellow of the Royal Society. He is editor of the Oxford Companion to the Mind (1987), and his other books include Mirrors in Mind (1997), Eye and Brain (5th edn., 1997), Even Odder Perceptions (1993), and Evolution of the Eye and Visual System (1992).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780192802859
ISBN 10	0192802852
Title	Seeing Through Illusions
Author	Richard Gregory
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	2009-08-27
Number of pages	272
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.