2007-01-29 03:00:28 · 7 answers · asked by jorje esquib 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
A mirage is an optical phenomenon, as opposed to illusion. It is caused by the warping of light rays. This warping creates a distinct image at a distance. You can see a mirage...ever seen "heat waves" coming off pavement in the summer? Or on a beach when you're sitting on the sand looking out to the water? Its like a mirror effect...a mirage shows images of things, elsewhere...
It has nothing to do with mental stability.
2007-01-29 03:43:27 · answer #1 · answered by aidan402 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most desert mirages are caused by people seeing things that are distorted by visible heat waves. You can sometimes see these kind of mirages on long stright stretches of road on a hot clear day.
Hallucinations, on the other hand, do indicate that something is wrong with a person's mental state.
2007-01-29 11:09:25 · answer #2 · answered by wax 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Now, I could be wrong here, but I believe that a mirage is an illusion caused by lack of food/water/companionship, or any combination of the three. Mentally unstable? No, this is your brain making you see what you want to see. It gives you hope, if not for that brief moment. Perhaps you meant people who see hallucinations, which is different as that can be brought on for no apparent purpose, as well as with psychotropic drugs and other hallucinogens. Those people's sanity vary from individual case to case, so I'm gonna put a big, fat NO on this question.
2007-01-29 11:07:57 · answer #3 · answered by johnmfsample 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Just dehydrated if you ask me and in the an extremely hot place if you ask me.
Have you ever been driving on pavement on a really stinking hot day an on the horizon line you see what looks like water, but you keep driving and all it is is pavement? That's a mirage too... the heat coming off of the pavement makes it appear that there is water on the pavement when in reality, there isn't, it's just heat radiating off the surface.
2007-01-29 11:10:05 · answer #4 · answered by babybunny729 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say it depends on just what they claim to see. Was it caused by something? Or is something they continue to claim to see? But then and even then everyone might still see the as crazy. Did anyone take the time in an open frame and look at what the seerer claimed? Most times, NO.
2007-01-29 13:16:02 · answer #5 · answered by jarroljeppesen 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, they're special.
2007-01-29 16:04:15 · answer #6 · answered by Barbara V 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No
2007-01-29 11:12:11 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋