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<strong>Our</strong> <strong>sense</strong> <strong>organs</strong><br />
– brilliantly designed tools<br />
for perception<br />
<strong>Our</strong> <strong>sense</strong>s are our windows on the external<br />
world. Only via this ’radar network’ of our <strong>sense</strong>s<br />
can we observe, recognise, experience and understand<br />
our world. <strong>Our</strong> <strong>sense</strong>s determine the quality<br />
of our conscious life, and influence many of<br />
our decisions. Input from our <strong>sense</strong>s can trigger<br />
a wide range of emotions in us; for example joy,<br />
happiness, peace and contentment, but also pain,<br />
fear, anger and sorrow.<br />
We can extend the limits of our sensory capacities<br />
by means of technological aids like microscopes,<br />
telescopes, and stethoscopes. <strong>Our</strong> <strong>sense</strong>s are on<br />
a continual voyage of discovery. A large part of<br />
our lives is spent on treating our <strong>sense</strong>s to new,<br />
special experiences. We undertake long journeys<br />
to visit new countries, so as to experience distant<br />
deserts, mountains, lakes or beaches. We visit the<br />
zoo, movies or the theatre; we listen to classical<br />
music or pop concerts, buy exotic perfumes, or<br />
spend money on culinary delights. Whenever we<br />
willingly pay high admission fees, it is because<br />
we want to give our <strong>sense</strong>s some special treat.<br />
Clearly, the quality of our human experience is in<br />
large measure determined by our <strong>sense</strong>s. So we<br />
will take an extensive look at not only the many<br />
abilities of our <strong>sense</strong> <strong>organs</strong>, but also the details<br />
of their construction.<br />
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