Neuralink Blindsight Device

[Maia]

Echolocation is amazing. A different form of sight. It says here that he's the only one in the world--so the understanding of it must have advanced a lot since this documentary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnH7AIwhpik

Yes, that was certainly a bit jolting, when they said that he was the only person in the world who can do it. In fact, most people who were born blind do it, to a greater or lesser extent. It just comes naturally.

Yes. It does seem quite a sweeping and presunmptuous statment. It's an old documenatary though. Sadly that boy died young because his cancer returned.

Very sorry to hear that.

[Wizard22]

Maia, if you did ever acquire vision, what would be the first thing, or several things, you'd like to do with it?

[Maia]

Maia, if you did ever acquire vision, what would be the first thing, or several things, you'd like to do with it?

I suppose, see what my family and friends look like.

[Flannel Jesus]

While we're talking about Blindness, here's an interesting thought experiment (turned real experiment):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molyneux%27s_problem

Basically, the thought experiment goes like this: take a blind person who is familiar by touch with various shapes, eg squares circles triangles stars. This blind person knows what they feel like and can distinguish between them easily by touch, but of course they've never seen these shapes.

Now give that blind person sight and ask them, using sight alone, to say which one is the square, the circle, the triangle or the star.

To most sighted people it seems intuitively like that shouldn't be particularly hard -- that the visual experience of these shapes matches the tactile experience in an obvious and intuitive way that even a person who is seeing for the first time should understand. But the reality is more complex apparently.

[Wizard22]

I suppose, see what my family and friends look like.

Well, of course... but go on. Can you give several more? How about go skiing or something? Watch the snow fall?

[Wizard22]

While we're talking about Blindness, here's an interesting thought experiment (turned real experiment):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molyneux%27s_problem

Basically, the thought experiment goes like this: take a blind person who is familiar by touch with various shapes, eg squares circles triangles stars. This blind person knows what they feel like and can distinguish between them easily by touch, but of course they've never seen these shapes.

Now give that blind person sight and ask them, using sight alone, to say which one is the square, the circle, the triangle or the star.

To most sighted people it seems intuitively like that shouldn't be particularly hard -- that the visual experience of these shapes matches the tactile experience in an obvious and intuitive way that even a person who is seeing for the first time should understand. But the reality is more complex apparently.

Immanuel Kant argued and proved (in my opinion) that a priori mathematical concepts are not translated by the senses or experience. So it should make sense why 'feeling' a square is fundamentally different than seeing a square.

The "square" is purely mathematical and logical in form.

[accelafine]

I suppose, see what my family and friends look like.

Well, of course... but go on. Can you give several more? How about go skiing or something? Watch the snow fall?

What a nosy p****.

[Wizard22]

What a nosy p****.

Calm down sour puss.

If I went blind then I'd miss seeing the stars and night sky the most. So I wanted to see where that was on Maia's priority list. Now I'll never know, thanks to you.

[accelafine]

What a nosy p****.

Calm down sour puss.

If I went blind then I'd miss seeing the stars and night sky the most. So I wanted to see where that was on Maia's priority list. Now I'll never know, thanks to you.

Actually a lot of sighted people never see the stars. Too much light pollution etc.

[Age]

I'm familiar with this, but there are a number of issues with it.

Firstly, it involves sticking something into my brain. I honestly don't believe that anything is worth that. That's just my opinion, of course, and others may think differently.

Secondly, as I've been blind since birth, it may not work very well for me, anyway, if at all.

Thirdly, even if it worked perfectly, this technology is only in its infancy, and the images are very low resolution. Not like actually seeing.

It goes without saying that I very much applaud the development of something like this, which could potentially help a lot of people. But for me, it's definitely not something that bothers me very much.

Hi, Maia. I'm sorry to hear that you have been blind since birth.

How VERY 'patronizing'.

What you said and wrote, here, would be like my saying and writing, 'I am sorry to hear that you have only had five senses since birth'.

you know to 'us' with six senses it must be so terrible for those like you being born with only five senses, only.

However, you seem like a very kind and gentle person so I think maybe you make up for your lack of eyesight with a somewhat exceptional good heart and good attitude.[/quote]

What do you mean by 'make up for', exactly?

Having one, two, three, or four less senses in NO way means that there is ANY thing to 'make up for'.

Also, 'personalities', "themselves", could NEVER so-call 'make up for', 'replace', NOR 'over come' the 'physical abilities' of the body, itself.

Sometimes we run into situations in life that cause us to become jaded or bitter and we end up losing that good spirit.

Have you had ANY so-called 'good spirit' when talking about or when referring to 'you', exactly?

I wish you much luck and good fortune in life and hope you can keep that attitude and outlook.

Do you wish EVERY one so-called 'much luck' and 'good fortune', in Life? Or, ONLY some, ONLY?

[Age]

That's a bad analogy. Race isn't the same as Blindness. Some people go blind over the course of a lifetime; some people lose their vision and sight. But nobody "loses" their Race.

LOL NO one is even born with a so-called 'race'. And, there is NOT A human being who could put you human beings into ACTUAL 'races'.

Also, going 'blind' over the course of a lifetime does not have much to do with telling some one that they have so-called 'made up for' how they were born. Which is what 'that analogy' was ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT. "flannel jesus" was referring to what one was BORN WITH, like what is (Falsely) known as 'race' is ALSO some thing that is claimed one is BORN WITH.

Furthermore, this thread (correct me if I'm mistaken), is about regaining vision, or in the case of Maia, gaining vision for the first time. That is significant...especially when it comes to Philosophy, both of which apply to Maia.

Will you EXPLAIN HOW 'regaining vision' is significant, supposedly, especially when it comes to 'philosophy', exactly?

If no, then WHY NOT?

Maia, however usually does the opposite of what I've recommended to her in the past, so I'm not going to suggest her to or not to try getting one of these devices. But it would be a miraculous thing, for people to regain, or gain vision for the first time.

Are there ANY of you, here, AWARE that some human beings are JUST HAPPY and CONTENT WITH EXACTLY HOW 'they' ARE,

Science is producing results for deaf people, gaining and regaining audial functions.

But vision is something different, and far more advanced than audial information and feedback / cognitive function.

[Age]

While we're talking about Blindness, here's an interesting thought experiment (turned real experiment):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molyneux%27s_problem

Basically, the thought experiment goes like this: take a blind person who is familiar by touch with various shapes, eg squares circles triangles stars. This blind person knows what they feel like and can distinguish between them easily by touch, but of course they've never seen these shapes.

Now give that blind person sight and ask them, using sight alone, to say which one is the square, the circle, the triangle or the star.

To most sighted people it seems intuitively like that shouldn't be particularly hard -- that the visual experience of these shapes matches the tactile experience in an obvious and intuitive way that even a person who is seeing for the first time should understand. But the reality is more complex apparently.

To me, it would be EXTREMELY SIMPLE and EASY to distinguish between them, while KNOWING which one is which, EXACTLY.

Is there ANY REASON WHY ANY one would think otherwise?

[Maia]

While we're talking about Blindness, here's an interesting thought experiment (turned real experiment):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molyneux%27s_problem

Basically, the thought experiment goes like this: take a blind person who is familiar by touch with various shapes, eg squares circles triangles stars. This blind person knows what they feel like and can distinguish between them easily by touch, but of course they've never seen these shapes.

Now give that blind person sight and ask them, using sight alone, to say which one is the square, the circle, the triangle or the star.

To most sighted people it seems intuitively like that shouldn't be particularly hard -- that the visual experience of these shapes matches the tactile experience in an obvious and intuitive way that even a person who is seeing for the first time should understand. But the reality is more complex apparently.

I like the fact that they finally managed to answer it, after hundreds of years.

The 3D mental map I have in my mind of shapes, places and so on probably bears little or no relation to what they look like.

[Maia]

I suppose, see what my family and friends look like.

Well, of course... but go on. Can you give several more? How about go skiing or something? Watch the snow fall?

It's not something that I've given a huge amount of thought to, but I would have to say anything to do with nature.

[Flannel Jesus]

While we're talking about Blindness, here's an interesting thought experiment (turned real experiment):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molyneux%27s_problem

Basically, the thought experiment goes like this: take a blind person who is familiar by touch with various shapes, eg squares circles triangles stars. This blind person knows what they feel like and can distinguish between them easily by touch, but of course they've never seen these shapes.

Now give that blind person sight and ask them, using sight alone, to say which one is the square, the circle, the triangle or the star.

To most sighted people it seems intuitively like that shouldn't be particularly hard -- that the visual experience of these shapes matches the tactile experience in an obvious and intuitive way that even a person who is seeing for the first time should understand. But the reality is more complex apparently.

To me, it would be EXTREMELY SIMPLE and EASY to distinguish between them, while KNOWING which one is which, EXACTLY.

Is there ANY REASON WHY ANY one would think otherwise?

Were you born blind, or just dumb?