Embodiment and Bionic Vision Restoration

This poster will explore and describe some philosophical implications of Bionic Vision Restoration research. The prosthetic restoration of sight can begin to test current philosophical distinctions of mind, body and world. The challenge of finding an adequate approach is encountered when the conceptual and neurobiological horizons of vision restoration are contemplated; where it can be difficult to avoid thinking that implies that consciousness is nowhere or potentially everywhere. Well aware of the difficulty of finding an adequate approach, this poster seeks to help craft a path toward healing. It will aim for this goal by beginning with a contemplation of the embodiment of perception in the context of the prospect of vision restoration. Here in the flesh of perception, phenomenology is demonstrably inescapable. Also, despite the inherent ambiguity of perception, phenomenology is important in avoiding half-truths as we re-explore the internal and external surfaces of being human.