Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site randvax.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!exodus!mhtsa!mh3bs!eagle!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sdcrdcf!randvax!edhall From: edhall@randvax.UUCP Newsgroups: net.philosophy Subject: Re: Why do mirrors reverse left & right, not up & down? Message-ID: <1675@randvax.ARPA> Date: Tue, 7-Feb-84 06:49:28 EST Article-I.D.: randvax.1675 Posted: Tue Feb 7 06:49:28 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 10-Feb-84 02:38:48 EST References: <541@bbncca.ARPA>, <543@bbncca.ARPA>, <3509@utzoo.UUCP> Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica Lines: 28 -------------------------------------- Well, Laura, generalization can be dangerous. I have very good binocular vision, and still have one hell of a time telling left from right. I always have to *think* about it, and it helps a lot if I look down and see which arm has my wristwatch on it (my left). And I figure out which arm to put my watch on by the untanned band from its shadow. On the other hand, a good friend of mine, who is blind in one eye, has much less of a problem telling her left from her right. I'd think that the difference between right and left would be fundamental, yet my perceptual system (along with Laura's and a whole lot of other people's) just doesn't seem to be set up to distinguish it. This leads to some other questions about perceptions and dif- ferences in people's innate ability to perceive certains things. It is quite possible that reality is just plain *different* for different people, and that some disagreements between individuals are simply insoluble. If I can't see your point of view, perhaps my nervous system is simply incapable of seeing things that way. Or perhaps right/left is simply a special case. It's food for thought, though. -Ed Hall decvax!randvax!edhall