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For twenty-four centuries, we have put all our intellectual effort into the logic of reason rather than the logic of perception. Yet in the conduct of human affairs, perception is far more important. Why have we made this mistake?
We might have believed that perception did not really matter and could in the end be controlled by logic and reason. We did not like vagueness, subjectivity and variability of perception and sought refuge in the solid absolutes of truth and logic. To some extent, the Greeks created logic to make sense of perception. We were content to leave perception to the world of art (drama, poetry, painting, music and dance) while reason got on with its own business in science, mathematics, economics and government. We have never understood perception.
All these reasons are valid, but the last one is the most important. Perception does have its own logic. This logic is based directly on the behaviour of self-organizing patterning systems totally different from table-top logic of traditional reason and language. Perceptual truth is different from constructed truth. What seems like the truth, may not be the truth. However, one may logically be the truth, but be percieved as a lie.
Our category habit which is the basis of language logic automatically flavours perception. All 'criminals' are seen first as criminal.
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