How do you know that you are seeing the same colour as me, because what if your red was my blue...?

Question

You cant describe a colour...

Answer 1

Colour is measurable through a spectrometer; all eyes are pretty much the same. The types of color blindness are strictly definable and cannot be cured but what I "see" as blue is the same in the spectrum as you "see" as blue. I used to wonder the same thing when I was a little girl and started studying physics because I wanted to understand. Light is a marvelous thing.

Answer 2

That's a tough one. I was thinking about is some time ago, and, to be honest, I weren't able to came up with some good answers.
Let see: the wavelength of light, reflected from i.e. small blue ball, is same for everyone (there can be some small differences, but still, generally it is identical). Our eyes are also very similar to each other, and according to any anatomical analysis of human eye, I can guess, that reaction to light of given wavelength is also the same for every eye (of course if there is no anomalies, like colour-blindness), so brain of every person which is looking at our small blue ball receives identical electrical signals. But in the same way, that for one person one song can be beautiful, and for another horrible, our interpretation - subconscious of course - of colours can differ. I'm afraid that even analysing electrical signals in our brain wouldn't help here, because it is not matter of actual electrical activity, but thinking processes, that are much more complex, various and incomprehensible that simple reaction to some kind of stimulus. If, as you have written, my red was your blue, it would be absolutely impossible to prove it, because it is - as it had been said previously - matter of naming colours. And I must agree with you, that it is also impossible to describe a colour. When I will, for example, say, that the red ball has the colour of the blood, you will agree. It will happen even, if our interpretation of colours was completely different.

When I am thinking about it now, I am getting into conclusion, that was surely created long ago by one of the philosophers, that everything we see, we hear, we experience can be only an illusion. That is - quite unfortunately - also impossible to prove, at this point of our mental evolution, but because of that, we can skip it, and continue our illusionary ( ;] ) - or not - lives. Probably not thinking much about it is a good idea, because it looks for me as a straight way to mental institution.

Answer 3

That's possible. Some people might more able to judge the colour than others. In fact, it depends on efficiency of that part of brain which has to judge the colours. Some people are colour blinds. They see some shades only, the shades of gray, black and white. And if you are talking about Subjective idealism, then all people should see the same colour, because God is seeing everything as per the theory.

Answer 4

Clearly we don't see the same colour as each other. This seems like a rendition of Plato's Cave. Where we are looking at the same thing but see it differently. Ironically, this was my first grasp of philosophy. I was quoted saying, (looking at a red Woolco sign), "That sign is red. We were raised to know that things that are that colour are red. But how do I know, that my perception of red, and your perception of red are the same". I see things the way I my mind interprets them, as does everyone else. Three people go to see Clerks 2. One of them picks up on the dick and fart jokes, finds them funny. There fore liking the movie. The second picks up on the tale of two best friends, and enjoys the movie for that reason. The third notices the fact Kevin Smith has a thing for Star Wars, and running jokes, and thinks this is cleaver. All three of them walk out thinking the movie was great, and yes they were at the same movie, but they did not SEE the same movie.
CyberNara

Answer 5

No, you can't describe a color, but you can make association on accepted definitions of particular colors. How about if you come to an intersection and the light facing you is red, does everybody else stop? If so, then you are seeing the same color. Or go to a hardware store and ask the employee to open a bucket of red paint, if he comes back with another, then your hypothesis is correct; then your reality is a big mess.

Answer 6

Well to be honest, you *aren't* seeing the same colour as me - there are going to be some minute differences in the way every one of us perceives and reacts to the same inputs. That's true not only for colour but every sensory input.
The idea used to get me really depressed - because this applies more so for feelings and experiences. How do you know that your 'joy' is the same as my 'joy' ?
The primary purpose of education is, I finally decided, to get everyone to agree to use the same set of notations/language to describe similar enough things. Which is why we start off teaching these things to little kids.
Could get real depressing, but hey, that's the world. Get used to it and move on. :)

Answer 7

Visible color is caused by light reflecting off an item. No light, everything looks black. So, color is just what your brain has been told is, whatever color it is. When you are a kid, you see a color, whoever teaches you what that color is doesn't necessarily see it the same way you do, but that spectrum of reflected light is, say blue, to them. And now it is also blue to you. If you were to take the visual cortex from one person and transplant it on another, their color references would probably be all messed up. But, no matter how you see it, the light reflected by a blue object is always the same wavelength, no matter how you perceive it.

Answer 8

I have no clue. I think the best way is to switch bodies. You have a good point because a color is already a description but a color that cannot be described except by blue, red and yellow. But I think, this is the point of color blindness. HAHA.

Answer 9

I have been struggling with this problem for thirty years and the question and its attempted answer only point out that at some point, language breaks down and is inadequate to describe personal experience; i.e. what if your blue and my red are what everyone calls green? at that point none of us would be able to recognize that a problem exists. Keep questioning and searching for answers and good luck. dfb.

Answer 10

Well ask ten people what is a certain colour, if they all say the same colour, they wouldn't all say the same colour by coincidence would they?