What does it mean to perceive? Why are each of our versions of reality so variable? And what is it that distinguishes us from the rising power of AI? From Locke’s ‘Essay Concerning Human Understanding’ in 1690, to the dawn of a new age of computerisation, this article seeks to connect the history and future of perception, just as perception binds us to our past, present and future selves. (Image illustrated by Zainab Abdur Rahman)
