Switching on possibilities
Have you ever seen through a Kaleidoscope? With constantly changing patterns, somehow interesting forms continue to unfold.
To me, observing the Universe is like looking through an ever expanding, possibility generating kaleidoscope. For mysterious reasons, elements have been combined and re-combined to create something new, from hydrogen gas to stars, from minerals to life. Since the beginning of time, possibilities have emerged in the most surprising ways.
And the trend seems to have continued in our brief history of humanity. If anything, there seems to be an acceleration of this combinatory alchemy in the last 100 years. We humans are getting better and better at extending our senses, whether it’s seeing, flying or networking. This in turn expands the realm of possibilities we live in. Who knows what miracles will appear next.
Part 1: How the impossible could become possible, with a shift in perspective
The nine dot problem is a class of problems that appear simple, yet are extremely difficult because of our human tendencies.
The task requires connecting all nine dots with 4 straight lines without lifting your finger from the screen (or if you were doing this on a piece of paper, your pen from the paper)
Can you do it?
If you can’t, that’s expected. The majority of published studies in the last 100 years showed that no participants could solve this problem.
But my colleagues and I found that an unusual brain stimulation protocol enabled 40% of participants to do it, whereas no one could do so with placebo or alternative stimulation protocols.
When Allan Snyder and I published the study in 2012, many researchers thought the result was impossible. And that’s understandable. Many big effects in the psychology literature have failed to replicate. But since then, we have been informed by independent groups that they’ve also found a similar effect.
Part 2: Whatever we see are determined by our human perspectives
We humans can’t help but see stars as constellations, and constellations as something relatable to our personal lives, whether it’s for calendar keeping or astrological predictions.
To me, constellations are like multidimensional representations of the nine dot problem. Whatever constellations we see are dependent on our mindsets and perspectives. For example, the ancient Greeks saw the constellation Orion as the mighty hunter, whereas modern Australians from the land Down Under see it as the pot or saucepan. It is quite a downgrade.
Suppose we could look at the stars from a different vantage point in our galaxy, the constellations we observe would be totally different. There are so many possible ways we can connect the dots. One perspective might be dark and depressing, but by simply turning around, another perspective might be bright and hopeful.
Part 3: Can we switch on and off different perspectives?
Dogs are masters of smell. Bats echolocate. And eagles can see preys miles away. It seems that different minds have different perspectives on reality, each with distinct limitations and superpowers. To the extent this is true, whether an ability is impossible or effortless is more dependent on the mental makeup than anything else.
This applies to our human minds too. Alex Honnold can free climb vertical cliffs better than a snow leopard. A feat that sends chill down our spine as bystanders. Steven Wilshire, an autistic savant, can reproduce photorealistic drawings of a city. And Daniel Kish, a blind man, has learnt to ride bicycles using echolocation. What’s unique about humans is our versatility. We have the potential to rewire our brain in a myriad of ways, acquiring new perspectives in unexplored dimensions.
In the last 10000 years, there has been a vast advancement in our intellectual capacity. If we could travel back in time, the ancients would be amazed by our modern technologies. But at the same time, much are lost. Polynesians seafarers could navigate by reading ocean waves. The Aboriginal people in Australia could see stars only visible with binoculars. There are different tradeoffs with different mental makeups, depending on the environment.
What if one day, we could rapidly switch on and off different perspectives, each with distinct superpowers? Can this be achieved with non-invasive brain stimulation? What if we could apply different filters of perception in order to enrich our consciousness?
You might be thinking, that’s impossible, that’s science fiction. But for thousands of years, we humans have done exactly that in astronomy. Ancient Greek astronomers could determine the size of the Earth by comparing shadows at two different locations. Modern astronomers have telescopes specialised for various wavelength, each enables us to observe a different slice of reality, through a different filter. Every additional perspective allows us to have a richer understanding of our Universe. And sometimes, having multiple perspectives is all it takes to discover treasures hidden in the depth of darkness.
Can the same principle be applied to our personal lives? I’m curious to find out.