This book excerpt from Mindblog contains a fascinating insight into how our mind sorts and recalls information. The book is The Ego Tunnel by Thomas Metzinger. The reviews for this book are less than exciting, but Dr. Bownds’ review makes it sound more interesting:In between 430 and 650 nanometers, we can discriminate (make
same/different judgements about) more than 150 different wavelengths,
or different subjective shades of color. But, if asked to reidentify
single colors with a high degree of accuracy, we can do so for fewer
than 15. The same is true for other sensory experiences. We can
discriminate about 1,400 steps of pitch difference across the audible
frequency range, but we can recognize these steps as examples of only
about 80 different pitches… Thus we are much better at discriminating
perceptual values than we are at identifying or recognizing them.These simple findings show that there is a depth in pure perception
that cannot be grasped or invaded by thought or language. This
ineffability problem arises for the simplest forms of sensory
awareness, for the finest nuances of sight and touch, of smell and
taste, and for those aspect of conscious hearing that underlie the
magic and beauty of a musical experience. It almost certainly appears
also for empathy, for emotional and intrinsically embodied forms of
communication.
