14 
It’s probably one of the most basic philosophical questions of childhood; “What if what I see as red is what you see as green, and we just never know?!” Well, childhood and stonerdom. OK, and maybe the rest of us too.
It is, after all, an intriguing proposition that mankind’s understand of colour is based on a sort of misunderstanding. This week, Vsauce is tackling the question with characteristic flair. And as always, the realities of the situation are a bit complicated, but it’s all the more interesting for it. [Vsauce]
All Movie Trailers Are the Same Freaking Thing
Apple Announces Mysterious Conference Call to Tell Us What It Will Do With All Its Billions Today
Have You Ever Noticed That All Movie Posters Look the Same?
YES
Its all relative really, as long as people see all greens as “their” greens and all reds as “their” reds, it doesnt really make any difference what we actually see them as.
well yes but the whole concept is just interesting, surely trying to find out for the sake of knowing is worth it ? It saddens me that the general attitude seems to be in most cases that research for the sake of research is pointless.
and heres the link to the blind guy
he is great so funny and i feel better any time i watch any of his videos, which are all fantastic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59YN8_lg6-U
Simple answer; No. Move on.
If that was where the video left it I wouldn’t have found out that apes taught sign language have never asked a question, suggesting they don’t have a theory of mind. And that humans don’t appear to develop one until the age of 4.
I’m not serious; I would hardly read technology blogs or study Chemistry/Pharmacy at uni if I didn’t like learning things. It was a joke, because the title is a straightforward question. Incidentally, despite what the video says, most studies agree that humans form a questioning mind in their second year.
There are also some interesting studies on Ape minds – for example, the majority belief is that most Apes are capable of asking questions, but they never need to do so in the wild. It’s a point of much discussion, but when two apes were held together, and one knew where the food was, the other ape did occasionally work it out. It’s just believed that in the wild, such behaviour is unnecessary. An argument against questions being asked in sign language would be that it’s not their ‘First’ language.
Us humans understand questions on so many more layers than apes, but when we learn a second language, we still find questions the hardest to form (more interesting studies on that) because, as you point out, theory of mind is the last thing to develop in whatever language.
Unless one is colourblind, I would assume so!
theres no way to tell. we can to a certain extent verify it as the wavelengths of light hit our eyes but colour is all about how the brain translates those signals and we can’t check that yet.
Theres also no way to sort it out linguistically except to establish contrasts between colours.
50 contrasts of grey?
We all have slightly different ratios of rod cells, cone cells, and the constituents within, with suggestions that females see a whole extra colour (didn’t see the video – correct me if I’m repeating it).
Thanks for the enlightenment.
If only it wasn’t so bad. “Color is an illusion”. Some people believe that; plenty of respectable scientists reject it (as do I, though I’m not respectable).
Perhaps illusion is an iffy word. You’d agree that the experience of colour is a quale (singular form of qualia, just looked it up…) though right?
Different wavelengths of light are no illusion, but color is, because color is a purely human (as far as we know) interpretation of said wavelengths. Without that perception, that which we call color is merely a small portion of an otherwise colorless and invisible electromagnetic spectrum, and any scientist worth their salt would be able to appreciate that distinction.
Women have better eyesight than men, so when a woman says something is green, you better fucking believe it. Also our eyes are most receptive to the green colour spectrum.
The logical extension of this idea is that an individual’s interpretation of their ‘physical’ environment could purely be the projection of their conscious ‘self’. More specifically the idea that the world in which you live in is:
1) The shared (and similar) interpretation of conscious ‘physical’ bodies with the actual physical body harnessing consciousness via the brain + working senses. (ie. the traditional interpretation)
2) The shared interpretation of consciousness; with the universe simply being the forum in which interaction between consciences takes place. The consciousness is in another location entirely, or is transcendental (The Matrix theory)
3) The individual projection of the ‘real’; from a single consciousness (How do you truly know anyone else exists? Could other people not just be a manifestation of your ‘self’?)
You can’t actually disprove any of these…
I’m not that imaginative. Theres no way I created both moby dick and some of the worst spelt comments I’ve ever read on an internet forum.
Also, I’d get more women if it was my projection, I can’t however find any evidence to disporve that I’m YOUR projection but I will say that If I am then you are one very very sick puppy.
Philosophy degree?
Nope…just one of my many interest areas.
Ah, a renaissance man
Not quite…I can’t draw for shit!
me neither
This problem occurs simply because we do not know what our consciousness ‘is” or how it works. This is also certainly not a problem specific to colour. This is a problem with all qualia. Left and right or up and down for example. Big and small, hot and cold, happiness and sadness. In fact anything that we can experience is to some extent subjective as we can only experience things through our senses.
I believe we will never be able to explain the colour blue for example but we are likely to be able to explain how consciousness works at some point. Possibly with help from some brain augmentation.
synesthesia is interesting when looking into this
people who can taste colours or touch numbers
weirdly enough i wish i had that.
hey gizmodo did another article specifically about synesthesia
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2013/02/what-its-like-to-have-synesthesia-and-see-all-your-numbers-in-colour/
it would be different i agree, but why do you wish you had it? i like people who have weird wishes
this is something that has crossed my mind several times, we all hear music differently, you may think that lady gaga is a heavenly voice whereas to me its like a howling banshee, likewise with tastes, i think the onion is the most inedible thing in the world, even the slightest taste can make me want to throw up yet there are those who love them. so it only stands to reason that we would all interpret colour differently
lol I failed the Sally and Anne test… Im 19 almost 20