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interface theory

Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman ran computer simulations pitting two kinds of creatures against each other: ones that perceived the world truthfully, and ones that just perceived whatever helped them survive. The useful perceivers won every time — truth kept losing out to fitness. Hoffman's conclusion: what we see — color, shape, objects in space — may be more like icons on a desktop than an accurate window onto reality, simplified symbols that are useful for survival rather than true descriptions of what's really there. He goes further, suggesting that consciousness itself might be more basic than space and time. That bigger claim is controversial, and most scientists aren't convinced by it — but the core finding, that evolution rewards useful perception over accurate perception, is well established.

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