Re: Does green exist?: how to build a mind

Christian Weisgerber (naddy@mips.rhein-neckar.de)
25 Nov 1998 02:04:26 +0100

In article <365B3874.A45AA9B2@together.net>, Michael Lorrey <retroman@together.net> wrote:

> Green is defined as a general band of monochromatic light wavelengths.

No. You can define "green" as such for a particular purpose, but this definition will pretty quickly run against people's intuitive understanding. You can perceive things as green with a different or no spectrum at all involved.

Before people start philosophizing about color, I strongly suggest they read this book:

C.L. Hardin
Color for Philosophers
Hackett, 1988
ISBN 0-87220-039-6

Highly recommended.

Contrary to what you might expect from the title, the book is not much about philsophy. Rather, it summarizes what is scientifically known about human color perception. That's quite a bit, and probably a lot that you don't know yet. As the author writes in somewhat politer words, you better know already established facts before you philosophize on a topic, otherwise you run the risk of spouting only so much garbage.

Sorry, pet peeve of mine. Human color vision is *complicated*, and people, including eye doctors, generally know very little about it. That cone and rod stuff you learn in school hardly scratches the surface.

-- 
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber                  naddy@mips.rhein-neckar.de
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