an eye for the bizarre

Anyone interested in epistemology (especially as it relates to Frank Jackson's "Knowledge Argument") must read this recent article from NewScientist. The premise:

The painter is Esref Armagan. And he is here in Boston to see if a peek inside his brain can explain how a man who has never seen can paint pictures that the sighted easily recognise - and even admire. He paints houses and mountains and lakes and faces and butterflies, but he's never seen any of these things. He depicts colour, shadow and perspective, but it is not clear how he could have witnessed these things either. How does he do it?

Read and be amazed.