how would you explain what is white to a blind?

Answer 1

It's not as impossible to describe colours to the unseeing as most people think.

First of all, it bears mention that white is not really a colour, per se, but it is the totality of visible light. Thus, you can't take an instrument and measure the presence of white light directly as you might with blue or green light - it requires a mixture of frequencies. In this way, you might say that white is the LEAST pure of any colour.

Any set of frequencies which produce a similar ratio of stimulation to cone cells is also perceived as white by humans. Humans have cone cells which are most sensitive to of 564 nm, 534 nm, and 420 nm but are broadly sensitive at least 100 nm on either side. So it is not necessary to have EVERY frequency to make white light... just a certain combination so that no one colour seems to dominate. Because reflectivity instead of pigmentation is required, mixtures of pigments generally produce only less whiteness. In this way you might say that white is the most pure of any colour.

Any set of pigments or natural coloration which produces wavelengths of light that is perceived by humans to be 'white' is ALSO said to be white. So it is white light which is reflected from the white paint on the white table. Technically it is only the LIGHT which is white, but in linguistic parlance, they are all white. Because many objects only reflect a few freuencies and white objects must reflect several, white ones often seem (and often are) brighter.

The presence of the colour white can also have a psychological effect on viewers. These can be varied, but as a baseline many people experience white as cold, sterile, bland, and spacious. Many homes are painted white on the inside for the latter reason - so they seem larger than they are.

White also has a substantial associative aspect for humans:
- Most things have natural colours or pigments other than white, so white things can seem clean and is associated with innocence.
- Long exposure to sunlight can destroy pigments; things long exposed tend to become white. Humans also often lose pigmentation in their hair as they age, turning it white. These two factors (and bones!) can cause white to be associated with age and death.
- Sunlight is brightest in the summer, so white is also associated with this time of year, and with the vigorous life present at that time.
- Because white favours no other colour, it matches all of them well, and is often used in design and fashion.

A sighted person who sees white often sees all these things at once, and is probably affected at least on a subconscious level by all these influences and flavours. Even an unsighted one might learn which things are or are not white, or use tools to detect its presence, and develop with effort the same associations... and thus have a very similar experience.

It's just not as easy.

Answer 2

I am assuming you mean 'How would you explain what white is to a blind person?'

It would be pointless trying to explain colour to someone who has never had any sight, they couldn't even understand what 'seeing' was.

Most blind people, or people with poor eyesight developed it during their life, and so have some memory of what colour, and white is.

Answer 3

Unfortunately a blind person doesn't have a reference point to think of if they were always blind. Maybe if they squint there eyes really hard for a few minutes that could work. I don't see how they could picture any color really since there other senses would couldn't detect color.

Answer 4

tell them to close their eyes and ask what they see and they will say its dark or you tell them that its dark what they see then shine a light at their closed eyes and hopefully there would be a change in the colour I'm guessing! then tell them that white is lighter than that! stab in the dark this is but its the only way i can think to try and explain to a blind person!

Answer 5

The blind see the color black, since their world is black.

I would ask the blind to imagine the opposite of what they do see, the most vivid opposite -- the color white.

Answer 6

Let me ask you a question, How would you describe ANY color to a blind person??? It'd be impossible! Because they have no concept of what color actually looks like in the first place. Kind of like animals, how they only see in black and white. In my opinion, I think that they would "see" color not as a color, but as a texture.

Answer 7

to me, if white wasn't a color it would be the smell of laundry in the dryer.
However, if the person can sense light (some blind people can), then tell them white is the color of light.

Answer 8

It is the purest, brightest, and lightest color. It refflects any light givven and when it is dark with just a little light, white will almost glow because of that little bit of light bouncing off it.

Answer 9

They know what white noise is, so I would tell them it is same concept applied to light. Then they would at least understand it, although they still would have no idea what it looks like, or how we experience it with our eyes.

Answer 10

listen to the record What coulour is the wind Daddy by Charlie Langsbough ( dont know if thats the correct spelling ) and that will answer your question