From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Sat Dec 30 2000 - 04:29:56 MST
"zeb haradon" <zebharadon@hotmail.com> writes:
> I was thinking about qualia - wondering what would happen if my brain were
> suddenly receiving inputs about other wavelengths of light besides those in
> the visible range, x-rays suppose - would I immediately associate novel
> colors with them, or it would take some time to learn?
How would the brain receive the inputs? If you use the axons of the
optic nerve, then the X-ray stimuli would induce sensations similar to
the ordinary colors. If you tack on new connections, then you might
get something completely new, assuming it doesn't get linked up with
something already defined in your brain (which is most likely in an
adult brain, I think; lets try it with an embryonic brain).
> realized that since I have (at least) red/green color blindness I
> may get to find out sooner then normal, since a treatment for color
> blindness will probably be developed before x-ray vision.
Unfortunately there is not that much work on curing color blindness
today - it would be very hard with current methods, it is actually not
that debilitating aand most color blind people don't complain. A cure
would as you say involve adding a population of cones and ganglion
cells to the whole retina, and then getting them to organise
themselves into something useful in the brain. I think this would be
tricky in an adult, even if the organisational abilities of cortex are
amazing. It is easier than x-ray vision in that the cones are
pre-existing structures (how you make a good x-ray receptor for a cell
beats me, I guess our resident nanotechies will have the solution
instantly :-), but then actually on the same order of trickyness.
Your experience might give a hint on just how odd feelings we might
get when we start adding new senses and realise just how much we have
missed - the ultraviolet markings on flowers, the infrared heat-traces
and color shifts, X-ray sources in the sky, the subtle odors a dog
would immediately notice, the ultrasounds of everyday objects, the
j'khguis of woifang eyg...
(of course, we might have to recompile our brains and add new kernel
modules to fully appreciate them)
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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