how do we know the colour we see is the same colour someone else sees, do is see the same color blue as you?

Answer 1

Oh my god I have been thinkign this for years - that what I see as blue you might see as my pink therefore a pink sky to you would seem totally normal. Guess there is no way to test it as you can only describe colours by relating them to other colours or to other things that are a similar colour - been intrigued by this for years but no one else understood! Thank you!

Answer 2

Through simple communication.

With so many people in the world, there must be some kind of variation to how our brains register our surroundings, so I can understand a slight difference in shade, but it would be nearly impossible for people to see things in totally different colours.

If a child saw the sky as red yet they were taught (correctly) that it was blue, this would get noticed early in their life because they would then say that every red object was blue.

Extreme scenario: someone is hidden away all their life, taught that green is in fact orange, then let out into the real world aged fifty.
After the initial arguments, It wouldn't take long for that person to discover that green is green and orange is orange, simply through communication. It would be like learning a new word or phrase.

Consider this:
Thousands of people from different countries look at a plain blue picture. Each provides a word in their language for what colour it is. I can bet that no matter how many people, and from what country, all words if checked in the relevant dictionaries, would translate to blue.

We can give a colour many labels but essentially still see the same thing.

The only exception would be colour blindness, but again, through communication, that person would learn that they see differently to others and adapt accordingly.

As for the latter part of your question: if we met in person, we could identify if we saw the same colour blue through a simple test using cards of various shades, and agreeing, or disagreeing to the darkness/lightness etc... but I'm 99% sure our results would match.

Answer 3

We can't ever know, as the only way we can describe what we see is by using the language we have been given. If I say 'pale sky blue' I know exactly the shade I mean, anothers persception of that desciption could be very different, or exactly the same... but we will never be sure. Try asking people about those...indecisive colours, turquoise is a great one, some see blue, some green, some turquoise, but even then...which shade?

Answer 4

We don't, to be honest. We can test for colour blindness but thats only if some of the different colours are seen as the same.

Answer 5

The basic answer is yes, we do. Our eyes and brains are formed in the same way. There are differences, perhaps someone is colour blind, then they see slightly grey in the colour area. Hope this helps, good luck.

Answer 6

We dont..we are bought up to believe that a specific colour is blue, red, green etc....we dont know what colours others are seeing just the name of the colour that we see...

Answer 7

We don't.

And it doesn't matter. If 2 people look at something and call it red, no matter what they see, they will see the same thing the next time they see another thing in the same shade of red.

Answer 8

Maybe because they are perceived in a different way by different people, different people have different "favourite" colours!! But who knows, the brain might ultimately use the wavelength of the light as a reference in all of us.

Answer 9

Everyone identifies equal wavelengths of light by the same names. How that image registers in the brain is anyone's guess.

Answer 10

just the color blindness test. IF both pass the test that mean both do see the same color.