The Eye of the Beholder

At any given moment, the universe is being perceived by billions of sentient beings (including humans). There is no coincidence of the 'locus' (that is, the spatial location) of these perceptions. For example, no two sets of eyes of human beings see the world at the same time from the same location (except maybe, curiously through the one 'eye' of a camera transmitting 'live', an artificial device).

 

There could be a synchronicity of all the perceptions (this would assume a disengaged clock (mechanical, electronic or even atomic)) giving rise to a notion of absolute Time that goes on independent of the perceptions. There could not be...coining a new use for a word here perhaps...a 'syntopy'...a coincidence of spatial locations of the perceptions.

 

This challenges the notion that we could consider discussing a 'one common world' when all our perceptions have different spatial loci (not to mention mental loci). What do we actually share? This spatial distribution of sentience probably began with the origin of the universe...say in a Big Bang...and has continued since. How can we ever see through another's eyes (though there may be clever electronic devices that get us close)?

 

This is why, designers and architects, who work on spatial problems, use abstract representations, so that they have a realm of syntopy in which they can address a 'common world'...and perhaps why the ancients stumbled upon Geometry, as an abstract realm...which in the words of the architect, Louis Kahn...provided the common ground of agreement between men (and of course, women).