How do we know that Colour blind people aren't seeing the right colours and the rest of us see mash up?

Question

Is this the conspiracy theory of the week? Why would they lie?

Answer 1

The question should be: What are "the right colors"? Colorblind people can't see the same broad color spectrum as people with color vision (e.g. a red-blind can different only between 17 wavelengths, whereas people with normal color vision differentiate between approx. 150 wavelengths), that's for sure.

Right colors: About every colorblind person has little difference in his/her color spectrum. So again, which is the right one. BTW, there are four different main types of color blindness, three of them completely different in their color spectrum. Which is the right one?

And on the other side: There are people even seeing more than everybody else. They are called tetrachromats (four different color receptors compared to three on normal vision) and have even a broader color spectrum. Maybe they are seeing the right colors???

Answer 2

Color blindness, or color vision deficiency, in humans is the inability to perceive differences between some or all colors that other people can distinguish. It is most often of genetic nature, but may also occur because of eye, nerve, or brain damage, or due to exposure to certain chemicals. The English chemist John Dalton in 1798 published the first scientific paper on the subject, "Extraordinary facts relating to the vision of colours",[1] after the realization of his own color blindness; because of Dalton's work, the condition is sometimes called Daltonism, although this term is now used for a type of color blindness called deuteranopia.

Color blindness is usually classed as a disability; however, in selected situations color blind people may have advantages over people with normal color vision.There is anecdotal evidence that color blind individuals are better at penetrating color camouflage and at least one scientific study confirms this under controlled conditions.[2] Monochromats may have a minor advantage in dark vision, but only in the first five minutes of dark adaptation.

Answer 3

Even truth can be influenced by majority.... the so-called colour-blind are unfortunately a minority. But indeed no one can say with certainty either way. We do not even know whether two people calling the same colour as red are actually seeing the same... both are calling it red because they have been told it is called red.... one of them may be seeing blue, yet he says he is seeing red because he thinks that what he sees blue is called red.

Answer 4

Colour blind doesn't mean seeing the wrong colours but not being to tell the difference between some colours. In mild forms they usually can't tell the difference between green and blue. In more extreme forms they may only see monochromatic (black and white).

Answer 5

You raise (I'll be generous and presume deliberately) a profound point. First, color blind people can't differentiate between the colors, so they are truly colorblind the way we mean it.

BUT - we have absolutely NO assurance that when I say I see blue and you say you see blue, that we're seeing the same thing inside our minds. We can compare wavelengths of light and determine that we are both detcting and differentiating the same wavelenghts, and that we both agree to call this one red and that one blue, etc., but beyond that - we have no way to know what happens in someone else's mind when light of this particular frequency strikes their retina - only that they can detect that and that they call it seeing blue.

Answer 6

It's very simple to prove if you are right.: Have you ever took a color-blindness test? I would think that it would be better to see the red five made of dots in that sea of blue and green dots. Colors are a response; it is how are brain interpret the information our eyes send it. HOWEVER, it would be best to be able to see and differentiate between all colors, even if your red is different from my red.

I hope that helps.

Answer 7

Yes yes. Everyone sees things in their own way which is influenced by stuff like personal experience and, I guess, eyesight etc.

Therefore stuff like beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Of course it's a conspiracy.

Answer 8

we don't know for certain, we only have faith.