Alternative theorist are those who progress knowledge and therefore science And have for hundreds of yrs.
I agree, but radical change is resisted as many "experts" have many papers based on false POV.
http://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Pajares/kuhnsyn.html - a synopsis of Thomas Kuhn's POV said:
Scientists take great pains to defend the assumption that scientists know what the world is like...To this end, "normal science" will often suppress novelties which undermine its foundations. Research is therefore not about discovering the unknown, but rather "a strenuous and devoted attempt to force nature into the conceptual boxes supplied by professional education".
I had the advantage over most pondering how perception works in that I had zero formal training in this area, when I chose to spend my sabbatical leave scholarship (with full pay) in JHU's cognitive science department. I am a "crack pot" as have an alternate theory of how human perception is achieved. (Not the accepted POV that it "emerges" after many stages of neural computational processing) which BTW is just "hand waving" as "emerges" explains nothing.
My theory explains many observations which contradict the accepted POV. For example how does a visual perception occur with your eyes closed (as in dreams or even awake when you for example "imagine" you are looking at a familiar object, like your stove or dog)? It explains why one small tribe about 50,000 years ago, exploded out of Africa and killed off dozens of others including the bigger brained and much stronger Neanderthals. It explains why there are actually more neural axon coming to the visual cortex for the parietal lobes than from the eyes!* Many other physiological facts too - for example why parietal strokes leave their victim with zero perception of half the world or greatly reduced awareness of it** - For example, even if very hungry they eat only the food on one side of their plate - that on the other side does not exist for them. Read more on my theory of perceptions at:
http://www.sciforums.com/showthread...it-an-illusion&p=905778&viewfull=1#post905778
That post focuses on free will - shows how it need not be in conflict with fact the discharge of every nerve is deterministically controlled by laws of physics & chemistry, but is best convenient description of my RTS theory of perception.
* This is an almost suppressed fact - rarely mentioned as it is in total conflict with the accepted POV.
** I investigated the visual process capacity of a nice old lady, victim of parietal stroke. I displayed at center of computer's display a small flashing x that she focused on. Then simultaneously with brief tone, my computer program flashed a small small red or green dot to the right or left of the x and asked her to name the color. She protested that there was no colored dot when it was displayed on her negelected side, but I insisted she guess what color was associated with each tone. After a while she played my silly game* (on different days) After the first day, she got 70 to 80% correct even when consciously perceiving nothing! (And about 90% correct when dot was on side she did perceive.) I had to discard all the first day's data, for two reasons: (1) most of the time she did not "guess" for many seconds after tone - but still protested in some cases how silly my request was. & (2) I stood where I could see the screen and I sometimes pushed the red button to enter data when she said "green" as the flash was red. On all other days, if she delayed I did not push either and stood where I could not see what was the correct answer.
This shows the early stages of visual process were functioning well - even up thur the stage of activating her "lexicon" - stored names and other information about how words are used. - She just lacked the ability to perceive due to the parietal stroke.
* She was lonely, living in an "old folks home." She was happy to have a gradate student interested in her for a whole week - played my silly game only to please me - keep me coming back each day. As the stroke was years earlier, she consciously knew she was not perceiving half the world - no longer disturbed by near by voices she could not see any source for. etc.
It is not common, but not rare either, that when first recovering in hospital from their stroke, which even destroys their self image, they will call the nurse and complain that someone's leg had been left in their bed. - When they look at their leg in their preserved field of vision - they of course see it. It just no longer is included in their self image of their body. Conversely, people who have lost a limb, often still have it in their self image of their body - They usually know it does not exist, but to them it is just as "real" in perception as the limbs that do exist. This statement can be tested experientially in some cases - does not depend solely on their assertion, but post is long, so I will describe the test only if asked.
One doctor tells this interesting story (which also illustrates how strongly we are a visually dominated species - "Seeing is believing"):
He picked up the patient's perceived hand by grasping the arm at the elbow and asked: Whose hand is this? Reply was : Mine.
Then he picked up the patient's other hand, again by the elbow and asked: Whose hand is this? Reply: Yours.
Then doctor showed showed his other free hand: Whose hand is this? Reply: yours.
Then the doctor let his hand slide up the arm of the patient to grasp the patient's unperceived hand, directly. Whose hands are these three? Reply: Yours.
Doctor comments: Don't you think it strange that I have three hands?
Reply: No. You should as you have three arms.
"Seeing is believing."