Observations placeholder
Romains, Jules - eyeless sight
Identifier
010427
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Jules Romains – Eyeless sight
Paroptic space has, at the first attempt, the same characteristics and properties as our ordinary space. The experimenter cannot fail to be struck by them. We should expect a hesitating reconstruction of the accustomed space, and a slow process of adjustment and agreement. This at least is what I had envisaged under the influence of theories which are much in vogue on the nature of space.
Nothing of the kind. The subject sees, badly, confusedly, obscurely, if I may use the word. But from the very first he sees objects in their place, at their respective distances, and in their proper size. And it is impossible to detect any work of co-ordination, reduction to scale etc.
Everything occurs as if we were entering suddenly, by a new door, into an absolute space endowed with absolute properties…
[But], if I extend my hand towards an object I have just discovered paroptically, my hand falls a little to one side, generally a little to the right. And if I move my hand until it touches the object, I then have the curious impression of a displacement as a whole of paroptic space; as when we touch the screw of the stage plate of a microscope and all the visual field seems to move at once.
