Can you see darkness or is it just an absence of light?

Answer 1

darkness=absence of light? I see...

Answer 2

You cannot see the absence of a thing. To say you can is a contradictions in terms.
So no, you cannot see darkness; and it is not "just" an absence of light, it is the "essence" of the absence of light.

Answer 3

The absence of light is Darkness, so yes you can

Answer 4

This is more a science question then a Philo Q. The eyes perceive light wavelengths and that is light. Darkness in and of itself is just absence of light, so you cannot 'see' it. You see nothing, because there is no light.
Now this is based on your question, can you see darkness. If you ask, when you see darkness, is there no light, and that depends. Ultra violet and infrared are spectrums that exist, but we do not perceive visually. Therefore, you could be in a dark room, to you, but there could be light in it.

Answer 5

Can you see light or is it just the absence of darkness?
I suppose we need both to see either.

Answer 6

It is an absence of light, scientifically.
In another sense, the darkness is the absence of sense.

Answer 7

Perhaps speaking scientifically one cannot see darkness. However, philosophically one can see darkness in a mood, a facial expression, a tone of voice or the horror of an evil. There are dark motives, etc., a dark heart....One can see the darkness of the ocean against the sky even on a moonlit night. Regardless of the fact that ambient light allows one to see what we perceive as darkness, it is our perceptions that define our philosophies and values.Many verbal expressions that contradict scientific reality create a vibrant visualization of what the speaker is trying to convey.

Answer 8

That's very deep as it seems although it's rather a simple question.The absence of light causes darkness.If you see darkness you will contradict a lot of things.So for example,if you look at a black box in a black room,do you see the darkness?

Answer 9

if nothingness goes on and on and on...you'd only see a dark space? if there was a piece of think glass that went on for miles and miles, and at the end there was nothingness...what color would you see?

i guess darkness is the absence of light

Answer 10

Darkness isn't just absence of light. We read about in our newspapers, watch it on our t.v.'s, sometimes it reaches out and touches us; racism, murder, rape, abduction, child pornography, wars, famine. Dark enough for you? It's enough to make one sleep with the light on.