Realty of Perceptions (Perceptions vs. Realty)

Considering the previous post that you can prove anything a discussion of our perceptions is in order. It is necessary because perceptions (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell) are considered to be evidence that to most is not questionable. For example in my previous post a gave the statement, "My pet, Lily, is a dog" and if you saw Lily you may have no doubt in your mind that she is. Unfortunately this, as I stated, must be proved and our perceptions of Lily is not sufficient evidence. Just because all your senses are giving you evidence that Lily is in fact a dog does not prove that she is. It has been shown over and over again that this is the unfortunate the truth. Consider that a really good robot dog was made were all the in sides were robot but it was covered with fur (that smelled and tasted of real fur), it used a recording of a dog bark, and its actions imitated that of a dog. In this situation (which is not unrealistic considering the animatronics of today) all of your senses would tell you Lily was a dog but truthfully she was not. If that example went over your head consider perhaps Lily is a hallucination then it should be obvious that your perceptions are in fact not strong enough evidence to prove something.

Now lets consider what our perceptions really are. For me (and hopefully most of you) my perceptions are sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. while I will never know if these are things that are actually real i do know that i am experiencing them. Keep in mind that experience of a sense does not correlate with it actually existing. I know that I remember my perceptions. Also keep in mind that memory of something does not mean you actually experienced that sense (memory is another discussion though). Lastly i want to add that i experience emotions. There are times were i feel angry, happy, or at piece. I have put some thought into it and have concluded that emotions are an additional sense. Consider that dogs sense of smell is much greater than ours. It is also theorized that dogs can sense peoples emotions. For those lucky enough to own a great dog they will understand what i am talking about. In addition you remember emotions exactly as you remember how something smells. You may recall having a discussing in which you felt angry but may not remember exactly what was said. Experience of these things (not accuracy) of these things are the only earthly thing one can be sure of (and still cannot prove to another).

More On the Reality of Our Perception

I think in my original post about perceptions i suggested that most people haven't experienced many times when there perceptions were misleading them so i would like to present some examples to those who haven't.
The other day i was reading my physics text book and they gave a brilliant example for me to share. Consider it is a very cold day. you are out side and you aren't wearing anything... would you rather sit on a metal bench or on a wooden bench? While the metal bench feels colder then the wooden bench in reality they are the same temperature.

Now lets say your driving down the road very, very slowly, almost not moving at all (i.e. 2 miles an hour). Now a car zooms past you going 200 miles an hour. Now you are in a car going 200 miles an hour and a car passes you at 201 miles per hour... which car seemed to be going faster? If your honest with yourself you know that the 200 mile an hour car passing the 2 mile an hour car was perceived as going much faster. what is also important to note that if you are in a completely isolated environment (i.e. a completely white room with only just the cars) the 201 mile will literally look as if it is going slower.

Now these are two different types of examples, but why? in the second our perceptions mislead us because of a comparison but in the first our perceptions mislead us because... well i'll leave that for you to figure out.