Colors
 

Being partially colorblind, I am always amazed at the perception we have of colors: how some people prefer some colors to other colors, and how different color combinations can be appealing or disgusting, depending on the person. This led me to wonder whether we all see the same thing when looking at the same thing. If I look at the blue sky, I see blue. I know it's blue because that's what I was taught as a child. What if when someone else looks up that day and they see what they call a blue sky, their blue is what I associate with green? What if the palette of colors my brain sees for different wavelengths is completely unique? Would there be any way to prove this?

In general, you can't prove or disprove anything that is wholly subjective, although science likes to pretend it knows that many aspects of subjective reality don't exist.

I think there's another thread somewhere that covers this.

Pragmatically, slight variations in color recognition/perception mean little. What if others see things differently? Does that change anything about your existence or your relationship to others? I think those are more important questions. I also tend to think that the answer is that it doesn't matter much if others perceive things somewhat differently. The concern would be that meaning construction varies significantly from person to person, and I don't think that is caused by physical factors of perception. Socialization is, by far, the biggest determining factor for determining how meaning construction takes place within individuals.

You know its wierd, but I used to think about this exact thing when I was really young (like kindergarden). I always would wonder if we saw things the same way or if we were just tought that certain things are certain colors/shapes so when we saw the thing we would all describe it the same way.

Link to other thread.

Re: Colors
 

i think about that all the time.....is my blue or brown your blue or brown? if i were to point at something green, and you say its green too, how can it be proven that the color i am seeing is indeed the same color you see?

its a bit puzzling. i cant imagine seeing my world any differently, or having some else see it any other way that how i see it.

i actually went over this real fast in psychology class..first off in the world there is no actual color, it is how your brain recognizes the waves lengths of light...ie each light reflects a different wave length and since most of our brains are built the same way we see the same color...yes their are exceptions such as the color blind

Thats exactally why I always stick with my favorite color in nearly everything that I have a say so in, clothes, furnishings, cars; you name it and if at all possible mine is clear...

Word. I've always found it interesting when we refer to something as being a color. For example, "That firetruck is red." It's not anything of the sort; the wavelength of light that corresponds to red is being deflected by the firetruck. Every other wavelength is absorbed. Thus, the firetruck is actually every other color except for red. Perhaps we should be saying, "That firetruck is not red."

Of course, the firetruck isn't really producing any of the light waves itself, so it isn't really red or not red. Perhaps a more precise description of the firetruck would be, "That firetruck is reflecting the red light waves. Run away!"

And then there's the whole "waterfall" problem with the color red to begin with. If it's a little more orange, is it still red? How about just a little bit of purple? Or what if it's a minute amount more vivid than other reds?

a rose by any other name is just as sweet.

Unless it's called Stinkleblossom. Then people would be left wondering. :crazy: