Like all animals, human beings receive pertinent information about the
             world through sensory perception: seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and
             tasting. This raw data is then analyzed and interpreted by the brain, and
             thus conceptions of the universe are formed. Most of our definitions and
             judgments about reality are dependent upon sensation and perception. In
             fact, science is largely based on sensory data, and science greatly informs
             our definitions of reality. Moreover, our definition of reality can be
             distorted by our senses and perceptions. For example, optical illusions
             create erroneous pictures. Depending on the reliability of our sense
             organs, the definition of reality can differ from person to person.
             For the most part, however, human beings share a vision of reality
             because of the uniformity of sensory data. We agree that the sky is blue,
             leaves are green, and lemons are sour. Furthermore, we make judgments based
             on sensations and perceptions. A foul smell will warn us that food has gone
             bad, for instance. An angry face can inform us of the emotional state of
             another human being, and often prompts us to react accordingly. Those who
             are deprived of one or more of the senses, such as the blind or the deaf,
             will perceive reality differently. A blind person, for example, will base
             reality on hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting, in the absence of
             Most people distinguish reality from fantasy by relying on sensation
             and perception. That which cannot be seen, touched, heard, smelled, or
             tasted exists in the realm of the imagination. Reality, therefore, becomes
             that which is reliably and consistently perceived by the senses. We know
             that tables are hard and jackhammers are loud because our senses tell us
             so; likewise, we know that leprechauns do not exist because we have never
             Aesthetics are also based on sensation and perception. Some people
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