the world we perceive

Excerpt from the book Subliminal by Leonard Mlodinow

The world we perceive is an artificially constructed environment whose character and properties are as much a result of unconscious mental processing as they are a product of real data. Nature helps us overcome gaps in information by supplying a brain that smooths over the imperfections, at an unconscious level, before we are even aware of any perception. Our brains do all of this without conscious effort, as we sit in a high chair enjoying a jar of strained peas or, later in life, on a couch, sipping a beer. We accept the visions concocted by our conscious minds without question, and without realizing that they are only an interpretation, one constructed to maximize our overall chances of survival, but not one that is in all cases the most accurate picture possible. 

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Mind is like a scientist, it creates its own model of world around us. How do we believe that what we perceive is true? If my unconscious is to fill the gap where there is incomplete information to construct a picture of reality, how can I be confident that my picture is a true one? 

Srik

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