51�Թ�

Sara Ajina, a neuroscientist at the University of Oxford who studies visual awareness deficits such as blindsight—a residual, unconscious “sight” in people with damage to the brain’s visual system—says she’s often skeptical about how much scientists can learn from single case studies.

LeDoux says that the difference is evident in people who have blindsight, who cannot consciously perceive visual stimuli but act as though they can.

She was left with the tactile equivalent of ‘blindsight’: Although she no longer felt contact, motion or pressure against her skin, she could still have an emotional reaction to being touched.

Blindsight proves that perception and other cognitive functions need not be accompanied by consciousness, according to philosopher Ned Block, an organizer of the meeting.

Other scholars disagree with Block’s interpretation of blindsight data, contending that people with blindsight might possess visual awareness even if they insist that they don’t.