Existence in the Mind’s Eye.

https://listelist.com/esref-armagan-kimdir/

I had a swarm of varying thoughts and emotions while watching the YouTube video of artist Esref Armagan working at his craft as perceptual psychologist, John Kennedy tries to understand Armagan’s wonderous capabilities. My initial feeling that admittedly lasted through to the end was confusion. How is it possible that someone who has never been able to use his eyes, conceptualizes the world in almost the exact same way as those who can see? I always knew that blind people could perceive the world through their other senses such as touch, but I figured given the different senses being used, people with the use of sight and people without the use of sight would simply have very different visual perceptions of the world. Armagan showed me that that is not necessarily true. He is piecing together the material world very similarly to those with sight, mainly through his sense of touch. It amazes me and makes me feel a sense of unity with the material world and people that I previously thought was essentially bogus. I figured we each have varying perceptions of the world and therefore, it is hard to pinpoint absolute truths. However, this video changed my perspective. Maybe there are discernable truths we can agree on as a people. A philosophy professor I once had asked us students if the desks we sat in still exist once we leave the room and are no longer physically sensing them. I have since come to believe that if the desks, like Armagan’s understanding of objects, exists in the mind’s eye after one is no longer physically sensing it, it must always exist. Now, after seeing how Armagan makes his art, I am more so convinced of the accuracy of human senses and therefore more so convinced of a shared experience. Maybe we are all more united than I had once believed.