>>13961328>We're recognizing patterns but they are in fact there, in nature, everywhere. Yes, but the things you see on psychedelics in particular aren't, in fact, actually there. The walls don't breathe, moving lights don't leave trails in the air, there are no colorful geometric textures on all surfaces you see. What you see with closed eyes is more comparable to imagination or seeing a dream.
>Things seem to conform to things like symmetry for the most part.That is true, these things are often very geometric and fractal-like. Basically unlike anything you'd ever see in nature. No one knows for sure how it happens, but I think it's ultimately just due to how we process visual stimuli using imperfect heuristics and lossy methods. Similar to how optical illusions work, but on a lower level and more intense.
>The more complex patterning is more surprising I think.The brain is highly sensitive to some cues due to millions of years of natural selection. Faces and eyes in particular are super important to keep track of, so there is actual special circuitry to detect those quickly. You really don't want to miss that predator watching you, even if it's dark and he's halfway hidden behind some bushes. Or to quickly check if your mates are also aware and looking that way.
It always surprised me that a lot of religious and Islamic art especially looks really trippy. Some of it wouldn't look out of place at some acid trance event at all. I wonder how they came up with that. Maybe it's just interesting and/or pleasing to look at because of the way it stimulates the brain. Not sure if they even had any easily available psychedelics for inspiration, but some probably managed to get some shrooms or cactus or something.
