How would you convince a blind man that the color yellow existed?

Answer 1

just dont see where it would be that hard-can use the sense of touch to explain many colors-they might not see it but they could feel it--from the yellow of the sun to the green of grass to the blue crisp air of a cold front or the angry red of a fire-i just dont see a problem here----
Touch is the most fundamental sense. A baby experiences it, all over, before he is born and long before he learns to use sight, hearing, or taste, and no human ever ceases to need it. Keep your children short on pocket money--but long on hugs.

smile and enjoy the day-very good question here

Answer 2

Cloothe said: "First, there is the direct evidence. Even a blind man can feel the sun warm his skin. Take him outside on a partly cloudy day, and he will tell *you* when the sun has come out from behind the clouds." But he doesn't know clouds exist either. When you stick him in the sun, he has no way of knowing the difference between the sun and a heat lamp. "Next, there is the scientific evidence that he can't see but has reason to accept. Astronomers who are trained to study the skies can tell him what they have observed, and the mere fact that he has not observed it himself is not necessarily a reason to think that their evidence is wrong. Very few of us have ever seen DNA, but I think most people now accept the idea that DNA exists, because scientists tell us how their experiments work." The blind mans only reason for accepting the astronomers evidence is trusting that the astronomers are competent, and not lying. Did you catch that? the only way the blind man can know the sun exists is through faith. "Relgion is different, It asks us to accept beliefs that are *contrary* to what we--or anyone else--can observe. The world is only about 5,000 years old? Then what about all those old rocks and old carvings? The world was created in 7 days? Well, how long is a day, when the sun wasn't even created at first. All of the animals were named by Adam and Eve? How did they name the animals that lived, say, only in North America, let alone the dinosaurs?" Religion does not demand those beliefs. Specifically, there are a number of committed Christians who believe the opening chapters of Genesis are fairly figurative. To the contrary, if you are looking for facts, there are a number of facts to support the literal historical resurrection of the Messiah. Have you investigated these things? I'm sure you're a busy person, but it's quite interesting. So to summarize, I think the only way the blind man can know there is a sun is by faith. He might on his own come up with a theory of something similar to a sun- or at least, in a thousand generations of blind men someone might come up with a theory to explain the phenomena, but none will ever really discover the sun. (By the way, I don't mean to say that the ressurection can be PROVED scientifically, but it is clear enough to hold up in court.)-Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Josh McDowell

Answer 3

This is completely different than trying to convince people that god exists... I know that this question isn't really the question but implys another question about how you could prove something that is not tangible in any way. BUT, colors DO exist and even blind people have favorite colors. I'm visually impaired and have many blind friends. They don't need colors to be proven to them. And again yes, I realize you're trying to be philosophical.

Answer 4

If the person had a grasp of science, then you specify the frequency of yellow light and list where it falls in the visual spectrum, This is not going to give him the experience OF yellow, but it will serve as a scientific explanation of where it was in the visual spectrum. Beyond that, I don't know how, since comparrison to anything else that requires visual experience for comparison would be a waste of time.

Answer 5

By an explanation of the frequency & wavelengths of light. And in the end it's fairly small claim that humans have an organ to detect these wavelengths. Two in fact.

We all know where you're headed with this and it's a tired old worn out analogy. The problem inherent in your question is the assumption that all claims are equal.

Let me turn it around and ask you which claim would be easier for you to believe.

1. There is a wavelength of light that is invisible to you.

2. There is an elf dragon living in your sinuses that will eventually devour your brain unless you pay me to remove it.

Do you consider both of these claims equal? Do both require the same level of evidence for you to accept?

Answer 6

I suppose I'd explain about how the human eye perceives light, and that certain wavelengths of light appear to us to be specific colors. One of those colors we have arbitrarily decided to name "yellow." Since the light that we see as yellow is measurable, I guess we'd have to do some kind of experiment or other to separate the spectrum.

Answer 7

I think your question is a very intelligent one. The concept of color is not an easy one to explain to someone that has never "seen" color.
It is not the convincing that you have to accomplish. Believe me, a blind man will take your word that it exists. It is the explaining that you should attempt. Explaining the concept of colors.

Answer 8

We can create equipment that can 'see' in wavelengths that our eye can not detect. In the same way it would be possible for a blind man to build a piece of equipment that would allow him to detect different wavelengths of 'visible' light.

Not necessarily easy to do, but perfectly possible.


Unfortunately no one has come up with a 'God meter' yet. Possibly because it lies in the same realm as the 'Dragon Detector'.

Answer 9

I have a sister who is blind, I've never tried to explain the concept of color to her. It is a sensory perception that she does not grasp. However I can use examples that she understands, Yellow is warm like sunlight. Blue is cold like snow. Then she can grasp the concept of color. If you're trying to say we can convince you that God exists, because we can't see him, it doesn't work. The are too many examples of His existence, and I don't need to see Him to know that He is there.

Answer 10

colour vibrates at differnet frequencies and can be ( subtly ) felt as well as seen
it would take some doing .... but it could be proven to a blind man that yellow exists