Early Morning Ponderings : The Nature of Colour

[Bork]

There are no colors if there are no brains to detect and interpret the light.

Like with any sense, the actual sensations like redness, the smell of pumpkin pie, the taste of chocolate, the sound of an orchestra, and the soft feel of a boob are all purely psychological phenomena.

This is not to say that there are no actual physical soft boobs out there. Its just the soft sensation would not exist without a brain to detect and interpret it. It is the same for color. Color is the sensation caused by light in us.

I've heard that due to some mutation certain people can see a wider range of colors (within the same spectrum). I think the general idea is that instead of seeing 7 colors in a rainbow they see 10, or something along those lines.

I don't remember exactly where I heard this, but is it true? And if so, how does it work?

I was also under the impression that color sensation in human beings is a bit "sloppy." That the way our nervous system responds to different wavelengths of light isn't always accurate or evenly distributed.

[Bork]

I wouldnt call it sloppy, people's brains are all unique, so why be surprised if they have different sensations when confronted with the same physical stimuli?

Two people can have the same kind food on the same part of their tongues and have very different taste sensations. This is due to differences in their brains and hence the interpretation mechanism which produces sensations.

Dont forget people can also have differences in sense organs which could produce these kind of disparites. Some people have eyes which are unable to detect certain kinds of light so their brains get no signals to interpret into color sensations.

I dont know the details of how brains work and sensations are produced, Im just a philosophy major and the above is what I have gathered.

[chezlaw]

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I dont know the details how brains work and sensations are produced, Im just a philosophy major and the above is what I have gathered.

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Does anybody have any idea how the sensations are produced?

chez

[Bork]

I doubt it, but I thought he might be looking for a biological and technical explanation.