I told you so!!!

From the New York Times of this date a piece by David Brooks “A Partnership of Minds” that quotes from Douglas Hofstadter’s book “I Am a Strange Loop” (that I am currently reading).
“Carol’s death brought home that when people communicate, they send out little flares into each other’s brains….”

In my explanation of the vision process I have proposed an actual physical basis for such communication or, (again from the Brooks piece), an “interconnectedness in today’s information age” (italics mine). The eye is not the ‘passive receiver’ that has historically been envisioned but rather there are grounds for believing that it emits a photon (or quantum) level signal in direct response to the image perceived – and, crucially, along identical paths that the light rays entered the eye to form that image. Thus, when you look into the eyes of another person there is a direct physical connectedness between the two of you (and, since your eyes are extensions of your brain – of your brains!)

(an unsigned painting seen at Tucson International Airport)

For the technical minded this assertion follows from my explanation that the retina is actually (there can be no doubt!) the Fourier plane of the optics of the eye and thus has the capability of acting as a phase conjugate mirror re-radiating light as I propose above. Moreover, the antenna nature of the light detection centers of the retina supports this idea – antennas radiate as well as detect electromagnetic radiation.

Hoftstadter’s interest in the relevance of the video feedback loop is fascinating in that it seems to go in the same “connectedness” direction that I am proposing. How many phase conjugate “back-and forth” light traversals (or loops) occur in viewing an object, say, ten feet away?

But, I must note again that whatever occurs will lie in the domain of quantum physics!

If one wants finally to understand the vision process they must study quantum physics!

GCH

Ojai,CA
8/6/07