What is perception?

[xxkryptic]

What is your individual interpretation of perception, and how it is used by the human race?

"the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding"

We, humans, define the universe through use of the senses. Religion was perceived thousands of years ago to explain things our senses couldn't, much as science has allowed us to do today. Is our comprehension of the universe better today than it was than? Why? Could science improve to the point where our current understanding appears as religion does to many of us now? Can we trust our current means of understanding, knowing that it can, and most likely will be improved in the future? Or are we in fact knowingly accepting half-truths to satisfy a sense of superiority? Is society better or worse because of it?

This topic has peaked my interest recently, as I believe it answers many of lifes fundamental questions, not to sound too poetic. I am interested in what you all have to say. I'll post my thoughts in length tomorrow as it is rather late at the moment.

 

[cotonpk3r]

all your big words don't ask a question at all.
you're just presenting a paradox for people to get mad at.. nice one.

In response to the title "what is perception?", it is really simply put as the way people understand things.

 

[tiger9110]

Perception = Understanding.

 

[TobyL65]

What you're saying about metanarratives comes down to the subjective concept of evidence. However I'm not going to divulge into theories disproving religion or science etc. Try looking at Wittgenstein's theory of language games.

 

[TripleSix]

It's all just symantics really. Perception is whatever you perceive it to be.

 

[Oxytocin]

Perception is the process by which organisms interpret and organize sensation to produce a meaningful experience of the world. Sensation usually refers to the immediate, relatively unprocessed result of stimulation of sensory receptors in the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, or skin. Perception, on the other hand, better describes one's ultimate experience of the world and typically involves further processing of sensory input. In practice, sensation and perception are virtually impossible to separate, because they are part of one continuous process.

See full article here