[visionlist] geometrically ambiguous images

[Michael Bach]

Dear B.T. Irvine:

> ... (1) are there any geometrical images which are TRIPLY ambiguous  
> in the way that the Necker Cube is doubly ambiguous, where the  
> transitions between ambiguities are obvious, regular, and  
> spontaneous (i.e. not dependent upon "effort")?

You probably know Hill's "My wife and my mother-in-law" ("young/old  
woman")? There is a variant by Fischer with the "father" added, that  
is "tridiguous".
But possibly you exclude such figures with the property "geometrically".

However, as already mentioned by other responders, there are many  
purely geometrical 3D figures with multiple interpretations, and the  
"missing corner cube" <http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/ 
sze_missCornerCube/> has at least 3 possible interpretations.


> (2) is there a name (or names) for the CLASS of geometrically  
> ambiguous images which includes Necker Cubes as well as some other  
> nameless geometrically ambiguous forms I have encountered in the  
> past? If there is such a term for this class, I would be interested  
> in finding it out as I may be able to mutate it into a  
> philosophical "-ism" which would express the sort of position I am  
> developing in my thesis.

doesn't "ambiguous figures" fit the bill? BTW: There is a  
philosophical stance viewing illusions as "cognitively impenetrable",  
since they still have their perceptual effect even if you know they  
are illusions.


Best, Michael
-- 
Prof. Michael Bach PhD, Ophthalmology, University of Freiburg,  
Killianstr. 5, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
Visual illusions:  <http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/>