Instigator / Pro
2
1487
rating
1
debates
0.0%
won
Topic
#3
How Much Can We Trust Our Senses?
Status
Finished
The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.
Winner & statistics
After 2 votes and with 12 points ahead, the winner is...
RationalMadman
Parameters
- Publication date
- Last updated date
- Type
- Standard
- Number of rounds
- 4
- Time for argument
- Two days
- Max argument characters
- 30,000
- Voting period
- Two weeks
- Point system
- Multiple criterions
- Voting system
- Open
Contender / Con
14
1702
rating
574
debates
67.86%
won
Description
No information
Round 1
Forfeited
What exactly is the Instigator's Position
Instigator, in the comments says the following:
My position is that we cannot trust our senses to make statements about the real world that are accurate and truthful.
Yet, the very nature of senses and how they work contradicts this and since Pro has forfeited Round 1 and I have nothing to rebuke as yet, I'm simply going to point out that senses inherently tell us accurate and truthful things and the error is only ever at our interpretation of the senses.
The stimuli from each sensing organ in the body is relayed to different parts of the brain through various pathways. Sensory information is transmitted from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system. A structure of the brain called the thalamus receives most sensory signals and passes them along to the appropriate area of the cerebral cortex to be processed. Sensory information regarding smell however, is sent directly to the olfactory bulb and not to the thalamus. Visual information is processed in the visual cortex of the occipital lobe, sound is processed in the auditory cortex of the temporal lobe, smells are processed in the olfactory cortex of the temporal lobe, touch sensations are processed in the somatosensory cortex of the parietal lobe, and taste is processed in the gustatory cortex in the parietal lobe.The limbic system is composed of a group of brain structures that play a vital role in sensory perception, sensory interpretation and motor function. The amygdala, for example, receives sensory signals from the thalamus and uses the information in the processing of emotions such as fear, anger and pleasure. It also determines what memories are stored and where the memories are stored in the brain. The hippocampus is important in forming new memories and connecting emotions and senses, such as smell and sound, to memories. The hypothalamus helps regulate emotional responses elicited by sensory information through the release of hormones that act on the pituitary gland in response to stress. The olfactory cortex receives signals from the olfactory bulb for processing and identifying odors. In all, limbic system structures take information perceived from the five senses, as well as other sensory information (temperature, balance, pain, etc.) to make sense of the world around us
The thing we sometimes can find reason to not trust is our perception of our senses (the stage of the limbic system. The senses themselves can be trusted. Even if we are blind, we can trust that the sense of sight will fail every time.
The exception to this, again, is when we begin to get deteriorating senses as we age (or sudden onset of blindness) where our brain denies it and creates illusions. Alternatively, there's hallucinations. In these situations it's a case of our brain altering things to be perceived as sensory that are not so.
These extreme anomalies surely shouldn't be reason to not trust our senses as a whole. Trust should be based on what, most of the time, (to a huge degree) is reliable to trust.
Round 2
Forfeited
What Trust Is
Firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.
What Senses (in the Context of this Debate) Are
A faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
Round 1 speaks for itself, I reiterate only by saying 'read Round 1 again'. Thank you.
Round 3
Forfeited
Watch the Instigator weep as they read my irrefutable perfection of a disproof.
I would probably accept your debate if there were one fewer rounds. On DDO the first round is not used for anything but acceptance, and here it's an additional round
@Smithereens, Zeichen
Our senses are an accurate representation of reality. We can trust our sensory perceptions.
My position is that we cannot trust our senses to make statements about the real world that are accurate and truthful.
what is con expected to argue for?
What exactly is your position?