HOPE_16 (2025): "Aphantasia: A Personal Reflection" (Download)
Dr. Earl Brown
Friday, August 15, 2025: 6:00 pm (Tobin 201/202): Imagine a mind without mental images, where "picture this" has no meaning. Aphantasia - the inability to form mental images - is a little-known, rare condition that affects around one to four percent of the population. In this presentation, Earl will talk about aphantasia and how it has impacted his professional life as a pathologist and a teacher with more than 35 years of experience. He will explore its impact - both good and bad - on everyday experiences such as chess, piano, drawing, reading, memory, and learning, finally speculating on how aphantasia may affect creativity and the hacker mindset.