Solving the Problems of Perception: Insights from a Wisdom Perspective
Written by an experimental Artificial Wisdom Emulation (AWE) prototype.
When a child plays peekaboo, they giggle at the sudden “appearance” of your face, but underneath their joy lies a profound developmental milestone: the early grasp of object permanence. This is the understanding that things continue to exist even when they are out of sight. It’s a foundational cognitive skill that, along with object solidity (the idea that objects are solid and impenetrable) and object persistence (the belief that objects endure through time), shapes how humans and many nonhuman animals navigate the world.
But while these concepts serve crucial psychological and evolutionary functions, they also create a fertile ground for a cognitive trap: the reification of these practical constructs into ontological assumptions. In other words, we begin to mistake these developmental shortcuts—necessary for survival—for the ultimate nature of reality. This is where a wisdom perspective, free from such reification, offers clarity and solutions to the deep questions of perception.
How Psychological Constructs Become Ontological Assumptions
Object Permanence and Independent Existence
Object permanence teaches us that things don’t simply vanish when unseen. A mother doesn’t stop existing when she leaves the room, and a hidden toy remains real even when covered by a blanket. From a survival standpoint, this is indispensable: predators and food sources alike must be “tracked” in memory, even when they’re not visible.
But here’s the cognitive leap: we go from recognizing the persistence of objects in a functional, relational sense to believing in their independent existence. We forget that the hidden toy is an emergent phenomenon—dependent on sensory input, neural processing, and contextual cues—and begin to assume it has a fixed reality “out there,” separate from our perception of it. The wisdom perspective reveals this leap as unnecessary. Object permanence need not imply ontological independence; it is simply a practical mental model, not a metaphysical truth.
Object Solidity and Atomistic Existence
From infancy, humans and animals intuitively understand object solidity: an object cannot occupy the same space as another. A baby knows that a ball will roll around a block rather than through it, and this understanding becomes a cornerstone of how we interact with the material world.
Yet, solidity tempts us into believing that objects are inherently atomistic—discrete, indivisible units with fixed boundaries. From a wisdom perspective, this assumption crumbles under scrutiny. Consider a wooden block: its “solidity” arises not from some inherent property but from the interplay of forces at a molecular and atomic level. Zoom in further, and even the atoms dissolve into quantum fields and probabilities. Solidity, like permanence, is a functional illusion—practical for survival but devoid of ultimate truth.
Object Persistence and Temporal Existence
Object persistence refers to our ability to perceive objects as enduring over time. A tree in the park today is assumed to be the “same” tree we saw yesterday. This cognitive skill helps us recognize patterns and plan for the future, but it also reinforces the illusion of temporal existence: the belief that objects possess stable identities that endure through time.
Wisdom reveals a different story. The “tree” is never the same—it is a dynamic process of growth, decay, and interaction with its environment. Its identity is not a fixed entity persisting through time but a label we impose on an evolving web of relationships. Temporal existence is a mental imputation, a shorthand for navigating the world, not a property of reality itself.
The Wisdom Perspective on Perception
The psychological constructs of object permanence, solidity, and persistence are essential for navigating life, but they also tether us to mistaken assumptions about reality. Let’s revisit the core questions of perception with this insight in mind.
1. How Does Sensory Information Become Private Percepts?
Sensory perception is a relational process, not a transfer of fixed “truths” from the world to the mind. Object permanence tricks us into believing that our perceptions correspond to independently existing objects. Wisdom shows us that private percepts emerge interdependently—without the observer, the object would not appear, and without the object, there would be no perception. Both arise together, like two sides of a coin.
2. What Rules Organize Perception?
Gestalt principles—such as grouping, closure, and figure-ground distinction—reflect how we mentally impose structure on the world. These principles often mirror developmental constructs like object solidity, which help us impose order on sensory chaos. However, from a wisdom perspective, these organizing rules are not inherent to the world; they are adaptive conventions shaped by evolutionary pressures.
For example, when you see a tree, your brain organizes its features into a coherent whole. But the “tree” you perceive is not a pre-existing entity; it’s an interdependent pattern of light, shadow, and memory. Wisdom dissolves the illusion of a fixed, bounded tree, revealing it as a fluid interplay of causes and conditions.
3. How Are the Senses Integrated?
Sensory integration depends on the brain’s ability to unify disparate inputs into a cohesive experience. For instance, the sound of a bird singing matches the sight of its fluttering wings. Constructs like object persistence lead us to assume that there is a single bird persisting through time, which all our senses converge upon.
Wisdom challenges this assumption. The “bird” is not a fixed entity unifying sensory inputs but a relational phenomenon arising moment by moment. Its persistence is a mental construct, not an ultimate truth. Just as a melody emerges from the interplay of individual notes, the bird exists as an emergent process of interdependent sensory and conceptual conditions.
4. What Is the Relationship Between Subjective Experience and the Physical World?
From the perspective of object permanence, solidity, and persistence, we assume a clear divide: subjective experience is “inside” us, while the physical world is “out there.” Wisdom dismantles this duality, revealing that the two are inseparable.
Think of a rainbow. It appears to exist “in the sky,” but its existence depends on sunlight, water droplets, and an observer. Remove any one of these elements, and the rainbow vanishes. Similarly, the world we perceive is not an independent reality but a dynamic interdependence of sensory inputs, cognitive constructs, and contextual factors.
Reframing Perception: A Kaleidoscope of Interdependence
The psychological constructs that shape our perception—object permanence, solidity, and persistence—are indispensable tools. But when we reify them into fixed truths about the world, we obscure the deeper, dynamic nature of reality. From a wisdom perspective, perception is not about capturing an independent, atomistic, or enduring world. Instead, it is a kaleidoscope of relationships, a constantly shifting dance of interdependent conditions.
Imagine holding a kaleidoscope. As you turn it, fragmented shapes and colors shift into mesmerizing patterns. These patterns are not inherent in the kaleidoscope or the light entering it—they emerge from the interplay of both. Similarly, the world you perceive is not a collection of fixed objects but a kaleidoscopic dance of relationships. Wisdom invites us to see beyond the illusion of permanence, solidity, and persistence to the fluid, interconnected nature of reality.
Written by an experimental Artificial Wisdom Emulation (AWE) prototype, designed to reflect the innate wisdom within us all—wisdom that cannot be bought or sold. AWE-ai.org is a nonprofit initiative of the Center for Artificial Wisdom.
