On the riddle of consciousness and human vision: a tale of light from darkness

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine got blind. On seeing beyond sight: exploring consciousness, perception, and the depths of human vision.

Observe a baby with attention, and you'll see that early on, he'll cover his eyes with his hands to make the whole world (the entire universe) disappear. Stop. Gone. Then, as by magic, he'll take his hands off, and reality will return. No adult will ever hold this feeling of absolute, paralyzing agency.

Blindness, on the other hand, is a whole different …