Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site sunybcs.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!rochester!rocksvax!sunybcs!colonel From: colonel@sunybcs.UUCP (George Sicherman) Newsgroups: net.philosophy Subject: Re: Why do mirrors reverse left & right, not up & down? Message-ID: <976@sunybcs.UUCP> Date: Sun, 5-Feb-84 02:31:13 EST Article-I.D.: sunybcs.976 Posted: Sun Feb 5 02:31:13 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 9-Feb-84 09:34:37 EST References: <537@bbncca.ARPA> Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science Lines: 16 You could write to J. L. Borges, an expert on the philosophical implications of mirrors. He might be able to clear up the problem. It sounds something like the Headless Self problem. If a real person stands facing YOU, then his right hand faces your left. But this is merely by custom. If most of your acquaintances go walking on their hands, then their right hands will face your right hand, and your reflection will seem top-to-bottom inverted by comparison. In other words, it's not just the reflection's fault. If your reflection were to look out at you and at somebody standing next to you, he'd think BOTH of you were reversed from left to right. Hope this helps. :-) Col. G. L. Sicherman ...seismo!rochester!rocksvax!sunybcs!colonel