Mass, energy, gravity, space, time and math

AI Thread Summary
Perception of mass, energy, gravity, space, and time is debated, with the consensus that these phenomena cannot be directly perceived through human senses. The discussion highlights that even color, often considered a direct perception, is actually interpreted through sensory mechanisms that convert electromagnetic frequencies into signals. Questions arise about the reliability of measuring phenomena beyond human sensory capabilities and the lack of developed tools to measure mass or gravity directly. The conversation emphasizes the limitations of human perception and the complexities involved in understanding these fundamental concepts. Ultimately, the nature of perception and measurement remains a profound topic of inquiry.
Dremmer
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Can we perceive these things directly? I'd say we can't. We can only perceive them indirectly. We have no senses to directly perceive these things.
 
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Provide an example of something that you consider to be perceived "directly".

Zz.
 
Dremmer:
We have no senses that perceive anything "directly", so frankly, I don't see your point.
 
We do not even know in full detail what goes on when we "perceive".
 
ZapperZ said:
Provide an example of something that you consider to be perceived "directly".

Zz.

Color. We can directly perceive an object's color, but not its mass.
 
Dremmer said:
Color. We can directly perceive an object's color, but not its mass.

How is this "direct"?

"Color" is some frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum. So one actually detects the frequency via some means, either using a resonant circuit/system, or in the case of visible light, via your eyes, which convert it to electrical impulses in your optical system.

So why is this more direct than detecting mass of an object?

Zz.
 
dremmer:
Somewhat more interesting questions would have been, for example:
1. Have we reason to believe that phenomena not appreciable by our sensory apparatus can as reliably be measured as those phenomene we may also perveive with our sensory apparatus?

2. Why have we not developed a sensory apparatus that measures the mass of objects, or differences in the various local gravity fields?
 

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