Jordan Harbinger avatar

Dexa/Jordan Harbinger

Learn more
Published Apr 1, 2020

333: Isaac Lidsky | Eyes Wide Open

Isaac Lidsky, a bestselling author and former law clerk for the U.S. Supreme Court, shares how going blind gave him a clearer understanding of reality, the importance of reframing challenges, and insights on balancing luck and control in life.
Episode Highlights
The Jordan Harbinger Show logo

Topics covered

Popular Clips

Questions from this episode

Episode Highlights

  • Perception

    Isaac Lidsky shares how our brains construct reality based on mental models, which we can control to some extent. He explains that our perception is largely a creation of the brain, with only a small fraction of input coming from our eyes. This realization helped him reframe his blindness as an opportunity to sharpen his personal vision and question assumed truths.

    We create our own realities and then we believe it, experience it as truth. We do that in so many aspects of life beyond sight.

    ---

    Understanding this concept allows us to reframe negative events and luck to our advantage, turning perceived limitations into strengths 1 2.

       

    Visualization

    Despite losing his sight, Isaac continues to visualize and process memories vividly. He describes how touch has become a substitute for sight, enabling him to form mental images. His brain's adaptability has allowed him to navigate the world using other senses, making these efforts as natural as sight over time.

    The brain is just so awesome. We are infinitely adaptable and you know, over a matter of years, not that long, all those conscious efforts became natural and just as passive as sight.

    ---

    This adaptability underscores the brain's remarkable ability to compensate and create a coherent experience of reality 3 4.

       

    Mental Models

    Isaac discusses the concept of mental models and how they shape our perception of reality. He shares an example of a pygmy who, having never seen across large spaces, perceived distant buffalo as tiny insects. This illustrates how our experiences and mental models dictate what we see and understand.

    The fact that he had never developed that mental model and yet his eyes were perfectly functioning, here it illustrates the concept of our entire reality of what we see is dictated by the mental models available to us in our brain.

    ---

    Isaac's own experience of blindness has shown him that reality is a mental construct, shaped by the brain's interpretation of sensory data 5 6.

Related Episodes