Forums → The Tavern → The concept, of color.
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You, and me, all know what a color is, it is something that represents something else, like how when you hear green, you think of grass, or a tree, or a shrub, or maybe a turtle. A color can even represent a group of things, like when you hear blue, don't you think of the ocean? Or, water? Yet the ocean contains things that aren't blue, so, wouldn't that mean that, the ocean isn't completely blue? Or, isn't blue at all? Its all about perspective, if your an ant, and all you see around you is green grass, that grass, might not even be a color to you, it just might be the world. We don't picture the world as a color, its just a word, world. Just because you say a color is green or blue, doesn't mean that it is green or blue, it can be any color to someone else. You also cant limit yourself to thinking inside the box, think about it, when you hear red, don't you immediately think of hot? Fire, for example, is very hot. And when you use red to characterize something, the inside of it might not be red, and the thing itself, might not even be red. If, when you were learning colors as a child, someone showed you a leaf, and said it was purple, even thou it is green, you would assume that color was purple, so, every time you see that color, from your perspective, the color is purple, but to another person that color is green. Hearing that, a leaf, you immediately picture it in your head as green, but picture it purple. Does it feel right? No, but that is because its your perspective of it, and even if someone tried to convince you that the color is purple, you would always feel that the color of the leaf is green. So, knowing that, color's don't mean anything, they are just colors, and you cant characterize something as a color, you can only characterize it by what it actually is, not what the color is.
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You're making a huge mess between the wavelength of the light we're seeing (which for a certain object is the same for everybody) and the words we're giving that colour.
And your definition of colour is not the one I would use. As said, a colour is a specific wavelength of light emanating or reflected from an object. A colour is not defined by the representation of something. Green is not green because of the grass. Grass is green because it reflects green light.
Turtles usually aren't even green, that is just a popular image. We often generalize the colour of an object, because it is easier and we still know what the other means.
What would be interesting to look at is colour blindness. The wavelength of the light is still the same, but the brain of the afflicted person interprets it differently.
What would be interesting to look at is colour blindness. The wavelength of the light is still the same, but the brain of the afflicted person interprets it differently.
I guess this is where I should step in?
If, when you were learning colors as a child, someone showed you a leaf, and said it was purple, even thou it is green, you would assume that color was purple, so, every time you see that color, from your perspective, the color is purple, but to another person that color is green.
The colour would still be green. Learning it as a different colour doesn't change the colour of the object, but the object of the representation that the name of that colour holds. The person would still see green, but it would go by the name purple.
It would be like a different language for colours, per se. Different languages don't have the same words for colours, but the colours are the same nonetheless.
If, when you were learning colors as a child, someone showed you a leaf, and said it was purple, even thou it is green, you would assume that color was purple, so, every time you see that color, from your perspective, the color is purple, but to another person that color is green. Hearing that, a leaf, you immediately picture it in your head as green, but picture it purple.
I used to always ask the question: What if your red were a different color then someone else's red? There would be no way to test it, because everything "red" would always be the color you see it, and everything "other red" would always be the other color that they see! When asked to identify if an object is "red" or not, the new color would fit the place of red!
This doesn't mean changing the language, though.
I used to always ask the question: What if your red were a different color then someone else's red? There would be no way to test it, because everything "red" would always be the color you see it, and everything "other red" would always be the other color that they see! When asked to identify if an object is "red" or not, the new color would fit the place of red!
That's only if you ask people. One cannot compare personal impression without reference.
However, you could test it by sending light of a specific wavelength into the eyes of several persons, and measuring in the brain how it gets intercepted and interpreted. If there is no significant difference, probability is high that we all see a specific colour the same way.
I just searched and found some study on colour perception or something related, maybe I'll find something of use for this topic.
Hm. Your responses intrigue me, and insult me. I'm impressed. You've showed me new ideas to my previous statements, and i thank you, but the answers you have given me only give room to raise more questions. It...is...all..about...perspective...
Hearing that, a leaf, you immediately picture it in your head as green, but picture it purple.
I may be strange, but the only leaves I hear are the dead ones that came off the tree, and I picture those as brown.
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