We perceive the external world solely through what reaches our consciousness via our senses, even though they have their limitations. This is not a new idea, but every time it crosses my mind, it leads me to imagine that there must be things around us that we cannot perceive, invisible to our senses.
There could be much more surrounding us than we are aware of. At least, we cannot directly know it through our human senses, which only function through external stimuli that our perceptual systems translate into interpretable signals. For example, we see something thanks to our eyes, which projects it into our minds, or we hear a sound temporarily, among other examples.
There are well-known examples of this phenomenon that easily illustrate this idea:
One of them is related to the range of sonic frequencies that our ears can perceive, which, (as any respectable musician knows,) is approximately from 20 to 20,000 Hz. However, dogs can hear higher frequencies than humans, and there are special whistles to train dogs that emit sounds in that range, which is inaudible to us.
Another more modern example is wireless signals used by our electronic devices, such as cell phones or computers. These signals are essential for the operation of our devices but are invisible to our senses.
If our senses had the ability to perceive them, we could “see” these signals. However, the fact that we cannot perceive something does not mean it does not exist and surround us.
This could be terrifying if we consider the implications. Ghosts or other strange entities in the universe, such as dark matter or who knows what else, could surround us, and we would never know.
With the advancement of future technologies, human beings will be able to create electronic devices that analyze and record more and more of these occurrences invisible to our senses, thus expanding our perceptual capacity. We could consider these devices as extensions of our ordinary senses, as if they were external senses of sight or touch. However, we can never be completely sure that the indications from these devices are 100% real or the final word on everything that exists in a defined segment of the universe. We may always exist to some extent with blindfolds on.
Although I find it interesting to understand our perceptual limitations, I am not convinced that the potential applications of understanding and overcoming this reality are very useful. The perceptual information we receive daily is already sufficiently dense and complex. Do we really desire or could we handle more? Would it benefit us in any way? Perhaps, but human evolution has provided us with what our species considers essential to move and survive on this planet. Everything else is likely unnecessary. We could even learn from this natural philosophy and detach ourselves from unnecessary things for our well-being. That may be the best conclusion I can draw.
Reflecting on this reminds me of the question: Why do we have to sleep? We could answer it from the perspective of the organic and mental processes that occur while we sleep, such as bodily repair or memory consolidation, for example.
However, a question that has always seemed more interesting to me is: Why do we have to be awake? In other words, why couldn’t we have a perpetually immobile and essentially unconscious existence, a pleasant state similar to what we know as sleeping? We could argue that is the natural state of trees and plants (which have obvious limitations), but we, humans, have evolved in such a way that, unlike them, we cannot survive on water and sunlight alone.
So, as a consequence of the way our “chimpanzee ancestors” evolved, developing the need to go out and seek their food, we have to be awake for approximately half of our daily cycle on Earth. Traditionally, we align our wakefulness with the presence of the sun in the sky, partly for convenience to see and move better, and also to absorb certain nutrients from sunlight, such as vitamin D.
Only by being awake and in motion, instead of being asleep or in a similar state of stillness, can we seek the necessary food to survive. Thanks to this effort throughout history to obtain these vital nutrients, we have developed strength, power, and abilities that are beyond the reach of beings like trees and plants.
Ultimately, I believe it is worthwhile. Although the plant world receives its sustenance effortlessly, it cannot speak, think, move, or create magnificent works of art, conquer empires, or explore the cosmos like we, the human species, have done.
Although there are invisible things to our senses, beyond what we can perceive, our evolutionary nature, in its infinite wisdom and intrinsic efficiency, has provided us with what is necessary, what is just, and not only to survive but also to grow, thrive, and explore the world.
The universe hides much more than our senses can capture, but that does not mean we should cease to marvel at what we can know with our limited tools. I want to see even more. I am interested in discovering, unraveling this tangible environment. Understanding. For any human being, this alone is already an infinite mystery.
