Consider, for instance, the so-called "optical illusion" of a straight stick that is said to "look" bent when dipped in a glass of water. The "illusion," we know from scientific investigation, is created by the refraction of light as it passes through water. Indeed, the data that is conveyed through our eyes reflects a real physical phenomenon—namely, the refraction. In that sense, the experience is not truly an "illusion" at all.
Clearly, any error associated with this "illusion" arises, not at the level of raw visual sensory input, but rather in the ensuing interpretation by the mind. Only this interpretative process infers a specific identity from the sensory input and determines whether the object of perception is a bent stick or rather a straight stick seen by refracted light. Indeed, highly experienced observers will immediately and automatically recognize the stick as straight.
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