Questions to consider… What’s going on here? What can we observe? What do we KNOW? How do we know this? What can be INFERRED?

The balloons are not being held down; instead they are being held up. What was it that fooled our senses?

How do our observations change as we ZOOM IN?

Try to guess in the first few frames what this is made from Try to guess in the first few frames what this is made from . . . before you see at the end!

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Flip flops!

Take a look at this one:

3,604 cups of coffee which have been made into a giant Mona Lisa painting in Sydney, Australia. The 3,604 cups of coffee were each filled with different amounts of milk to create the different tones and shades!

How do our observations change as we ZOOM OUT?

Perspective…starting with a rooster’s comb Perspective…starting with a rooster’s comb. Zooming out gives us a different perspective every time! ASK: Can you be TOO close to something to judge very well? Too far? Where must you be to judge it well?

Can you be TOO close to something to judge very well. Too far Can you be TOO close to something to judge very well? Too far? Where must you be to judge it well?

And now for some optical illusions…

Which soldier is taller? If anyone questions that THEY ARE ALL THE SAME…give him/her a ruler! They will measure out to be equal.

Are the disks moving. (Not in reality Are the disks moving? (Not in reality. However, we see movement – an optical illusion. Explain how it works, or get someone in the class to explain how it works. Did YOU create the movement, then? Irony – the optical illusion was created by someone who knew exactly what would happen! If you see motion that is not really there, what else do you see that YOU put there? (i.e. – Did you see that guy? He insulted me!! Etc., etc.)

Now here’s something that’s just plain cool… Salvador Dali The Bullfighter A minute ago we saw things that weren’t there. Now there is something here that you probably didn’t see. Look at the painting…what do you see? Remember how we started with a slide that many of us claim to contain something that WASN’T there. Here, in Dali’s painting, we do not see something that IS there!! (Eventually, ask students…do they see the bullfighter? Title of painting is last click of slide.)

Some questions to consider How much does previous experience come into play? Is there knowledge that is completely independent of perception? As you flip through magazines, what is happening? Vogue magazine…what is beauty? Do our perceptions work in different ways -- in the arts? In the sciences? In history? In mathematics? In ethics?