Philosophy

Perception philosophy
The nature of the sensory experiences we encounter each and every day can appropriately be related to reality and this is the basis of perceptual philosophy. I have in many occasions raised questions concerning the conscious character of the perceptual experiences and which kind of awareness we have when we hallucinate or dream. Sometimes, the sensory experiences enable us to access the hidden secrets of the knowledge of the world where we live in. My questions that I have been contemplating of have not only raised creative thinking in me but have been the centre of interest in the field of epistemology, metaphysics and the philosophical study of mind.

Manipulation of Perception
The manner we perceive objects can be quite different in the way the objects can be in reality. The main reason attributed to this form of ideology is based on the observation that indeed perception and reality are two individual items. The two autonomously exist in our minds. Perhaps, this can be different when we take the same items to non humans, say a monkey or a non primate such as a pig. Humans have the capacity to think and thinking is an active process involving the participation of active elements in the brain.

Thinking
A conscious human has to think and all thinking processes begin with knowledge. Knowledge may refer to a good understanding of a concept or a rough know how about what the element before us is like.

Perception far from reality
Some time back I was met with a puzzle where a musician was wholly covered with a costume made of a skin of a monkey. In the entertainment room, there were a couple of pre-school children. There were other elderly men and women and also the youth. My observation about what the children were really having in their minds was the image if a true monkey in front but some who were courageous enough could take some candies and biscuits to feed the monkey. Contrary to what was happening to elderly audience, some of the pre-school going children got frightened and started crying.

Memory My observation in the entertainment room proved to me that in perception process, humans utilize the knowledge they have acquired prior to the current time.  Memory is utilized in the perception process. Memory is stored in facts which we retrieve when we are invoked to. The children did not have any prior knowledge about what the monkeys were neither did they know what exactly the monkeys would do to them. The knowledge of the elderly about the monkeys automatically granted them the courage to stay and watch the musician do his performance. The children who feared reached the second step of thinking and made a conclusion that the object they saw was potentially dangerous. In comprehension, we realize what we think about. Comprehension is important in the thinking process and it enables us to think effectively. This part of perception process is developed with age and the small children who started crying because of the musician in a monkeys mask had not developed the part of comprehension process.

The perception and sensing process
In the perception process, application becomes important in executing any reaction concerning what is presented before us. Perception devoid of application becomes worthless. All our thoughts should be applied so as to generate the appropriate reactions. I may not appropriately execute a reaction for what I see or hear basically because doing so could be likened to a mother who after becoming pregnant decides to abort the baby before term. Perception process should be allowed to mature through stages in order to realize good results. Analysis process which follows application will give a critical feel in the perceptual process. The breaking of ideas into segments leads to considerable attention being paid to each aspect so that good judgment is made.

Critical thinking must involve synthesis which is a process of organizing, building up and finalizing on the previously initialized process. Evaluation wills eventually finalize the perceptual process and at this time elements such as sensing process and memory should not have any bias on the final result.

What was happening
The scenario of the crying children and the musician masked in monkeys skin did not rather fool me. I can remember a situation when I met a leper lying down and showing real agony for somebody to help. I was walking along the backstreets after four oclock tea to play some pool game before I get back home. Along the street, the leper was there receiving donations from well wishers. The first impression I made was the person was truly a leper and owing that people were stopping to donate some dollars for the person she really qualified to be a leper. This scenario was different from what I had experienced with the small children in the entertaining room. This time round time, it was my turn I got fooled and donated to her some 100. Returning in the evening, I passed through the same place and I was shocked seeing the leper walk straight right into a car. She had managed to fool many.

Barriers and thoughts
The two examples of occasions clearly show that perception is not the same as reality. It requires some critical analysis of issues before taking any rational decision. My personal barrier in the situation of the leper was not the language but the perceptual analysis which got aborted before term.