How do we know that our reflection is what we actually look like?
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The answer is a mix of basic philosophy and basic science.
The science part is physics and biology. We know how lighting and reflections work, and we have a brain that learns to recognize and interpret reflections, and remember patterns. Further, even if we’re not taught the science, our intelligence notes that when we move our arm, the reflection of us moves our arm, and when we look at other flat mirrors we get the same reflection, and those are patterns that we learn from.
The philosophy part is the perception that we’re not so special that there’s some universal trick being played on us like in Jim Carry’s “The Truman Show”. It’s our reflection of what we actually look like because we don’t believe everything around us is designed to deliberately project a certain false reality. Some people might believe that, but it’s not commonly accepted.
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