is it possible that the way that I see red is the way that you see blue?

Question

We both recognize the color as being red but we see it two different ways? Is there any scientific support showing otherwise?

Answer 1

yeah...if one of us smoked pot that day!

Answer 2

It would be difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that people with normal eyes (whatever that is) "see" the same colors when observing the same object. However we do know that there are three types of cones on the retina that respond chemically (using different pigments) to the different wave lengths of the three primary colors and that the brain integrates the various strengths of the three signals to produce all the colors and shades we claim we can see. Beyond that, certain colors have common psychological effects on us. Bright red warns us because it is the color of spilled blood and yellow warns us of certain dangerous creatures. The rainbow produces all the colors in a fixed sequence because it involves the reflection of light waves of increasingly short lengths within water droplets. There is little reason to believe that someone could see these colors out of order since they must stimulate the cones on the retina. Still, babies must learn to see and can not distinguish between circles and squares until the proper areas of the brain are "programed" to see curves and straight lines. In people blind from birth such programming never occurs and they use the space for other heightened senses. Thus we must learn to see color. So, it is likely that we do see the same colors; but we can never absolutely know.

Answer 3

Cogito ergo sum.
Color is all in the brain.
When you say "see" you mean "perceive", and perception is entirely in the brain. If your eyes are transmitting different data about the color of an object and in 99 cases out of 100 you will perceive (decide) that the object is the same color as I will perceive it to be, then there is no objective test that will determine it.
On the other hand, there are supposedly some people who can perceive additional (ultraviolet, infrared) colors, colors that most of us can't see at all. There are tests to determine if this capacity exists, but it still doesn't define what data about the objects their eyes are reporting to their brains.
Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Since we dont yet know the nuts and bolts of how the brain processes information its too early to properly answer this.

But one thing we can tell is that from a computing point of view its pretty randomly messed up in there. So the chances that there are any similarities in the actual brain funtions when recognising red is remote.

While we are on the subject of how we percieve things differently, try this: check a colour with each eye separately, I see sky blue differently with each eye.
If my left eye doesnt agree with my right eye, what chance is there that my eyes agree with yours?

Answer 5

The recognizing part is not the problem in your question, it is the seeing. The human eye is made to detect the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, since that's the most useful electromagnetic radiation. All human eye detect the same portion of the spectrum so red will look red to everyone. However, animals detect different portions of the spectrum so they will see things differently.

Answer 6

I've seriously considered this my whole life. Espicially now since I have a colorblind friend who can't explain it. He's been colorblind his whole life, and I ask him how he knows our colors aren't the same, or what our blue is compared to his blue. He says he just knows.

I asked "What color is that bush?" and he said it was green.

"Well, how did you know it was green?" I ask.

"Because bushes are supposed to be green, even though I don't see your green."

Drives me nuts, trying to explain it to myself. I've always wondered if my green is someone else's purple or something...The only explanation I have is "Hey look at that nice red car." and my buddy says "Yeah, that's a nice shade of red."

Now you're giving me a worse headache!

Answer 7

I've wondered that too, but how could we test it? I think we all see the same colors though. Why else would most people like blue? If blue was puke green to some people, they wouldn't like it... or at least I wouldn't think they would...

Answer 8

i dont know about scientific support but ive heard that everyone sees the world a little differently, especially blind people . . .but really, to a colorblidn person red might be brown, so they arent lyign when its brown, because its brown to them, and yoru not lygin when you say its red, because to you, its red, id otn know if this helps

Answer 9

Wow that's a really good question lol and you explained it well...I never thought of that but I suppose you could be right...I've never thought about it that way.

Answer 10

I've wondered about that sort of thing before. I don't know how you'd prove or disprove it though.