Errmh, actually… What does it mean to see actual face? Cause when others see yours, it’s light that bounced off it going in their retinas. When you see your mirror reflection, it’s exactly the same thing. Only difference is that the light bounced a second time off a mirror surface before going in your eyes. You are seeing your actual face, just mirror reversed left to right. Bounce it off two mirrors if you’re annoyed by the reversal.
You’ll never see your full actual face in real time without reflection. At most you can only see your nose and parts of your mouth if you pout hard enough.
Good news everybody! I’ve invented a light bending device! I call it…fiber optics! I’ve also invented a device that reflects the actual light coming off of your face! This one is called a mirror!
Cameras give you the wrong impression about your face because cameras have only one “eye”. There are times where you’ll catch a glimpse of your reflection completely unanticipated and in that moment you will see past the mask your memories make.
Wellllll, seeing your face is just seeing the light that bounces off it. Looking in a mirror is looking at the same exact light that has bounced off your face, so its really no different.
Define “see”….because in my head you “see” something when light reflects off of a surface and the various reflected wave lengths are captured by your brain and interpreted. Seeing your face in a mirror is still “seeing” reflected light.
Although it might not be accurate, using my external webcam with the reversed image setting off really gave me a glimpse of how others see me. It did feel quite strange at first.
I always wonder whether photos (taken by someone else), selfies, or mirrors are the most accurate. Especially for those of us who look different in every single photo.
What does that mean though? A mirror reflects the actual light that came off your face and shows it back to you. That’s just as real as any other person. Alternatively if you had like a fibre optic cable you could bend the light back and shine it on your face. That’s the exact same light anyone else sees.
I get that the point is that you’ll only see the reflection of your face in the mirror, but this brings to mind a shower thought I had recently… You never really see beyond your own eyeballs.
That object 20 metres away? You can’t see it, you can only see the light it emitted or reflected at a moment in time that travelled at the speed of light until it physically touched your eyeballs, which your eyes then register and your brain interprets.
So how do we define “see”. Is seeing a reflection not fundamentally the same as seeing the thing itself with the photons in reverse order? Has the light been delegitimised for having touched the mirror before making the same impression on your eyes, ambient in a different arrangement?
a mirror shows you your “actual face” unless photons coming off your face and reaching your eye is not seeing “your actual face” in which case nobody has seen your actual face
It’s pretty weird to think of the limited scope of understanding of one’s own face has been throughout our history. Were we just limited to reflections in water or paintings from one another? Can anyone provide further context?
If you spin a mirror at over 500 rpm you would see a perfect reflection of yourself (reversed). You can use two to see your own face exactly as others see it.
Spinning cancels all possible imperfections and smooths out the image as your brain cannot process the differences at this rpm. It acts as a uniform, perfect mirror, as far as your optical senses are concerned.
I mean, you will, though, if you look in a mirror. And if you feel it doesn’t count because the image is reversed, you could look at two angled mirrors.
The photons are bouncing off your face and eventually making their way to your eyes. The mirrors just redirect them in the process. And if that doesn’t count, then it seems like the reorientation that happens because of the lenses in your eyes (and possibly glasses) also wouldn’t count.
I had an existential crisis when I saw my hair for the first time in my life at 30 years old. The worst part is that it kinda does look different than it does in the mirror. Surely the same goes for your face right?!
You never truly “see” anything, just interpret what is being bounced into your eyes and processed by brain as best as we can as per the hardware we have equipped.
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And if you do, something has gone horribly wrong.
You will never be the first person to post this thought to this sub.
its always a split second younger than it actually is!
Errmh, actually… What does it mean to see actual face? Cause when others see yours, it’s light that bounced off it going in their retinas. When you see your mirror reflection, it’s exactly the same thing. Only difference is that the light bounced a second time off a mirror surface before going in your eyes. You are seeing your actual face, just mirror reversed left to right. Bounce it off two mirrors if you’re annoyed by the reversal.
Did you know you actually can see parts of your face but your brain actually deletes that part of your field of vision? Like the nose and such.
Now I’m looking at my cheeks and nose and my brain won’t let me stop now
this makes me feel very uncomfortable for some reason
Just pop your eyeball out of its socket, turn it around and presto, your face minus one eye.
i can see my nose directly though and that’s part of my face
I can literally see my nose with both eyes right now.
YES you will. Seems you don’t know what “see” and “actual” means.
You’ll never see your full actual face in real time without reflection. At most you can only see your nose and parts of your mouth if you pout hard enough.
You might be interested in Zeno’s Paradoxes.
I might. Sometimes eyeballs pop out of the skull but are still attached to the optic nerve.
Good news everybody! I’ve invented a light bending device! I call it…fiber optics! I’ve also invented a device that reflects the actual light coming off of your face! This one is called a mirror!
Good thing we don’t have to watch ourselves chew or sneeze in real time… some mysteries are better left unseen.
Wrong. You only need to mirrors at 90º to each other. Or a camera and a screen.
Just see in the eyes of those who loved you
Cameras give you the wrong impression about your face because cameras have only one “eye”. There are times where you’ll catch a glimpse of your reflection completely unanticipated and in that moment you will see past the mask your memories make.
“Our love, our love will be in virtual space”
Similar thought I had. I wanted to be the passenger and I’m also the driver.
Wellllll, seeing your face is just seeing the light that bounces off it. Looking in a mirror is looking at the same exact light that has bounced off your face, so its really no different.
You will never see anyone’s actual face. Or anything actual for that matter. Everything we see is already past.
Define “see”….because in my head you “see” something when light reflects off of a surface and the various reflected wave lengths are captured by your brain and interpreted. Seeing your face in a mirror is still “seeing” reflected light.
Unless you’re in a Freaky Friday kinda situation
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Challenge accepted! I need to find a disreputable surgeon…
Imagine like a thousand years ago when you just had no idea what you looked like.
Not if I pluck out my eyeballs and spin ‘em around!
On occasion I am reminded that I can only view the word in third person from my perspective and annoys me a little bit.
I can always see my nose though. And maybe my lips if i stick them out.
If you are close to a black hole, you can use that to bend the light similar to a mirror, so you see your own face without a mirror.
Approach black holes at your own risk.
If you mess with the wrong locals you might
Shut up man i am trying to sleep not go through all my life thinking that….
If you’re lifecasted you will! (source: am sfx makeup artist)
I heard of the true mirror before but even that isn’t accurate. Scary stuff
Although it might not be accurate, using my external webcam with the reversed image setting off really gave me a glimpse of how others see me. It did feel quite strange at first.
this used to drive me CRAZY to think about as a kid don’t reopen that can of worms
I prefer the one that goes “Until the advent of photography, no one really knew what the back of their own head looked like”
How about those fancy mirrors that reflect a “real reflection” thingy majig
You’ll never see your actual back/top of your head either
I always wonder whether photos (taken by someone else), selfies, or mirrors are the most accurate. Especially for those of us who look different in every single photo.
What does that mean though? A mirror reflects the actual light that came off your face and shows it back to you. That’s just as real as any other person. Alternatively if you had like a fibre optic cable you could bend the light back and shine it on your face. That’s the exact same light anyone else sees.
And guess what, you’ll never see your butthole ever either!
I get that the point is that you’ll only see the reflection of your face in the mirror, but this brings to mind a shower thought I had recently… You never really see beyond your own eyeballs.
That object 20 metres away? You can’t see it, you can only see the light it emitted or reflected at a moment in time that travelled at the speed of light until it physically touched your eyeballs, which your eyes then register and your brain interprets.
So how do we define “see”. Is seeing a reflection not fundamentally the same as seeing the thing itself with the photons in reverse order? Has the light been delegitimised for having touched the mirror before making the same impression on your eyes, ambient in a different arrangement?
a mirror shows you your “actual face” unless photons coming off your face and reaching your eye is not seeing “your actual face” in which case nobody has seen your actual face
It’s pretty weird to think of the limited scope of understanding of one’s own face has been throughout our history. Were we just limited to reflections in water or paintings from one another? Can anyone provide further context?
A blind person who encounters faces by touch can just as easily experience their own.
Check out The Headless Way by Douglas Harding. Fascinating stuff
Makes sense why most people don’t even know how they truly look to others
why? i see it in the mirror every day , and this is enough for me
John Travolta and Nicolas Cage scarified themself once to do this experiment in Face/Off.
Except your nose, which you pretty much always see.
And now you can’t unsee it… you’re welcome!
Well shit, I’ve never thought about this, but it will be in my head all day!
You can with the mirror camera, which reverse the image and show our true face.
Your nose is always in your vision but your brain ignores it. So technically you’re always seeing part of your face
You will never actually see anything. everything is just a reflection of light.
If you spin a mirror at over 500 rpm you would see a perfect reflection of yourself (reversed). You can use two to see your own face exactly as others see it.
Spinning cancels all possible imperfections and smooths out the image as your brain cannot process the differences at this rpm. It acts as a uniform, perfect mirror, as far as your optical senses are concerned.
A mirror, especially, a mirror bounced into a second mirror, are as “real” as “real” gets.
You can test this by looking at another person in a mirror and comparing it to looking at them outside of the mirror.
I mean, you will, though, if you look in a mirror. And if you feel it doesn’t count because the image is reversed, you could look at two angled mirrors.
The photons are bouncing off your face and eventually making their way to your eyes. The mirrors just redirect them in the process. And if that doesn’t count, then it seems like the reorientation that happens because of the lenses in your eyes (and possibly glasses) also wouldn’t count.
I mean, you can still see a bit of it if you stare down your nose.
Probably the scariest person you could meet
Ah I was hoping for an existential crisis, thanks
I can see my nose and my eyelashes and lips
You’ll never see my actual face
Our love, our love will be in virtual space
According to light physics, looking at a mirror is the same as looking at your “real” face
Lil bro hasn’t learned the art of astral projection yet smdh
I had an existential crisis when I saw my hair for the first time in my life at 30 years old. The worst part is that it kinda does look different than it does in the mirror. Surely the same goes for your face right?!
I remember realizing this at my 6th birthday party and having an existential breakdown
I have a true mirror so I’ve seen my actual face
You never truly “see” anything, just interpret what is being bounced into your eyes and processed by brain as best as we can as per the hardware we have equipped.