‘What we sense is what there is’. This quote neatly sums up the limitation of our senses and how that shapes the reality of our world. The book seeks to give us more perspective on how other animals around the world sense things differently and how that can add more depths and fullness to what’s going on. Each animal has its ‘umwelt’, a concept of the world and surroundings that animal perceives exclusively through its senses. For example,
The book discusses different senses (smell, taste, hearing, sight, electromagnetism, touch) and gives incredible examples of how different animals possess amazing senses beyond human’s comprehension
- Dolphins’ echolocation can see your insides like an x-ray
- Giant squids possess large eyeballs in the depth of the ocean lacking sunlight. This is to catch the small glimpse of reflection from whales, their only predator that deep down
- Mantis Shrimps can see 12 channels of color and UV (Humans have three; red, green and blue). How different must their world be?
It also interestingly explores various concepts of how we categorize things purely on our senses. For example, light helps us survive in the past through better sight so it is ingrained in our language as a good thing (enlightened age, you’re bright) whereas darkness is bad (dark age, dim-witted). Alternatively, more color perception isn’t better. Less actually allows for better shape recognition.
This book is good reminder to not take our perspective as gospel as we are likely biased because of it. Hopefully it can also help us all empathize and appreciates the wonder of species and the world around us