How Do We Perceive Our Environment?

3min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

Sensory input that we get from smell does depend on the environment we're in. It's not just a mirror of things, it's really actually how the organism is always in an interaction with the environment. And it shapes how we perceive, and it shapes also the physiological basis that allow us to perceive these things. I think so indeed, we would stop thinking about mirrors, for instance. We all have the same kind of image, but it's much more about perception is not a mirror, it's not a representation of something,. But it's an augmentation of consciousness, and it's a constant evaluation.

We gather empirical evidence about the nature of the world through our senses, and use that evidence to construct an image of the world in our minds. But not all senses are created equal; in practice, we tend to privilege vision, with hearing perhaps a close second. Ann-Sophie Barwich wants to argue that we should take smell more seriously, and that doing so will give us new insights into how the brain works. As a working philosopher and neuroscientist, she shares a wealth of fascinating information about how smell works, how it shapes the way we think, and what it all means for questions of free will and rationality.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Ann-Sophie Barwich received her Ph.D. in Philosophy at the Centre for the Study of the Life Sciences, University of Exeter. She is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University Bloomington. She has previously been a Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience at The Center for Science & Society, Columbia University, and held a Research Fellowship at the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Vienna. Her new book is Smellosophy: What the Nose Tells the Mind.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.