Fairy tale revisited

[Jyera]

With reference to "FairyTale Revisited" on SWIFT 26 Nov 2004.

It mentioned the ease with which children could have transformed a sighting of a dragonfly (such as a specimen of Orthermis Discolor) into a fairy encounter.

How is it transformed into a fairy encounter was not specifically mentioned, and perhap not the intend of the article.

I would say that ... They might actually "see" a fairy.
While I do not think a fairy actually appear in front of them, it is not impossible that they actually experience seeing a fairy. Seeing, is after all an eye+brain activity. The visual/Optical input is a dragonfly but the mental picture is actually one of a fairy with human body and wings.

Personally, I had in one instance, saw the word "Thailand" on the t-Shirt of a boy. I later verified that it was "Northland", and cannot have been "Thailand". But my point is, the experience is very real, and I really did experience seeing the word "Thailand" very clearly. This just an anecdotal account of an encounter within this year as an adult. Not to be taken as scientific evidence.

Facing with Randi's question of ...
"A six-year-old could easily transform such a sighting into a fairy encounter, don't you think?"
I would answer "yes". And add that adults might be as susceptible to this illusion, under the right condition.

 

[iain]

Can't remember where I read it now; but I believe there is as much or more information going from brain to eye as from eye to brain. The extent to which our visual picture of things bears only a passing relationship to what is actually there is amazing, really.

 

[DrMatt]

With reference to "FairyTale Revisited" on SWIFT 26 Nov 2004.
Not to be taken as scientific evidence.

Facing with Randi's question of ...
"A six-year-old could easily transform such a sighting into a fairy encounter, don't you think?"
I would answer "yes". And add that adults might be as susceptible to this illusion, under the right condition.

Yes! Exactly so. Even scientists, unaccustomed to illusionists, are susceptible to being bamboozled. But trained illusionists can see through such attempted bamboozlement. That's precisely the sort of insight that the JREF tries to convey.

I still wish the guilds of magicians would change stance and make all their secrets public. I'm still convinced that we value them for the skill and panache of their performances, not for their secrets. But most of them disagree.