/sci/ - Science & Math

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because EVERYTHING has to have an evolutionary reason, right guys? Yeah there has to be some sort of "edgy" and deep meaning behind every little thing the human body does. NEWS FLASH THAT'S NOT HOW EVOLUTION WORKS. Seriously, pick up a biology book some time why doncha

You're seeing with the same part of your brain that you see with usually.

It's not that mystical.

Seeing, imagining, remembering and dreaming of something are incredibly similar in your brain. The difference is that the eletric signal from seeing comes directly from your eye.

Vision is in the brain, the information just comes through the eyes.

Images are made in the brain.

>>3013141
Even if it doesn't have a direct evolutionary function it's the result of how the mind processes memory and so the evolution of that and sleep would give you some insights.

Stop being so hostile. The OP was asking if it had a function. He wasn't demanding that the entire evolutionary theory break down because it doesn't have a function.

You see with your Qualia.

Actually, your the "displaying on your eyes" thing doesn't make you see either. For example, there are people who can see but cannot consciously see.

Are there people who can imagine things almost as good as they can see them? Or is that unheard of or even impossible?

the more often you activate neural networks in the brain, the easier it becomes for those circuits to be activated in the future. dreaming activates these networks and helps make them more efficient. essentially dreaming is very very very important for memory consolidation and recollection.

>>3013182
It's called Blindsight.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindsight

Really interesting phenomenon.

>>3013185
Of course. There are psychological disorders which let you see things.

oh, dreams are basically defrag, but for your memories

This is quite good:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind%27s_eye

Seems that memories are activating the higher (patterns as opposed to lines and angles) visual processing of the occipital lobe. So you're bypassing that retina and optic nerve to activate the late "perception" directly. Interestingly, DMT is a drug which causes wild hallucinations, and is secreted during sleep. Also seems to suppress memory formation (hence forgetting both your dreams and your DMT trips).

>>3013143
So what the fuck is that part?

>>3013224
Nobody knows yet. The same for every other conscious ability.

>>3013224
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_system
Beyond that part that just processes the raw input from the optic nerve, you get the parts the identify objects, etc. That's what I'm talking about.

it's called the pineal gland hurr durr
this thread is now new-age bullshit

So what do blind people dream about?

>>3013267
Electric sheep.

>>3013277
<span class="math">\displaystyle +\infty[/spoiler]

is there a name for the act of reading without saying the words?

"thinking without words" is much much faster than thinking with words, like machine code is faster than interpreted code.
i'd like an answer to this, i'm sure there must be lots of stuff about this in a psycology textbook somewhere...

I dont think you are "seeing" anything. Its just the brain activity is in regions connected to visual understanding, and what you are thinking becomes visually interpreted.

Just like how you see things, and then you logically interpret them, it runs backwards. You think weird shit, and your visual brain parts interpret that.

Such is how the brain works.

>>3012938
>has anyone found out why we dream?

Yes. It has to do with memory organization. It is kinda analagous to a disk defragmentaion/clean-up of a computer. There are litterally tons of scientific papers, and journals on this shit.

Anything else?

>>3013185
I can imagine things almost as well as I can see them. I have used this ability in engineering work.

I'd have an engineering contract right now... but was cut off from my computer by a crazy landlord...

>>3013699
>engineering contract
>computer

why do you need a computer for gay sex?

I recently read that dreaming is needed for learning. Playing things out. Working out scenarios.

Sleeping in general is used for preparation of both mind and body.

Bascially ur brains repairing itself when you sleep and if your dreaming your probably working out shit thats important to you IRL.

source = nova... i think...

>>3013699

Boomer! Long time no see. How's shit?

>>3013675
Not really. There are papers that explore some of the things that happen while we dream, and some of the effects that happen by preventing dreaming, however, that's not the same as trying to answer WHY we dream, which may not be answerable by science.

>>3013873
Dreaming is required for memory organization. That is a fucking fact kid, and there are a shit ton of peer-reviewed science on this subject. This is the valid (and the universally accepted theory) as to "why" we dream. It does explain "why" we dream, through means of neccessity.

Your logic is shit.
We know heart is needed to circulate blood, but according to your shit reasoning, that doesn't explain "why" we have a heart? GTFO! TROLL!

>>3013912
Wow. Buthurt much, kid?

Dreaming is not necessary for proper memory function. Scientists do not know why we dream.

>>3013940
Why do you refuse to believe facts?

Let me guess, you watch alot of Faux News, and you are christian (yet you never have read the bible).

>>3012938

your memory