In 2025, science fiction is looking more like science fact. Brain implants, once the stuff of Hollywood thrillers, are now becoming real tools used to decode thoughts and restore function in people with neurological disorders. But can they really read, or even control, our minds?
Nothing is what it seems, including our visual perception. We see through our eyes: well-cleaned panoramic windows overlooking the world outside. At least, that’s what our experience suggests. In reality, the window cleaner is only scheduled for tomorrow, the glass is terribly fogged up, and your eyes are more like raindrops that allow for occasional peeks into the outside world. Why do we not experience it as such? How come we can see so well regardless? And do we ever see the real world?
If you pause to consider all the things you do in a single day, you seldom realise how much understanding of physics it requires—even more so when we do not pause. Yet you wouldn’t get quite far with pouring coffee into your mug, interlacing a chain lock through your bike, or using a zebra crossing without some understanding of the natural laws that govern the world. How does your brain understand the physical world so well, but its formulas so poorly?