ChuckieR
9th April 2003, 06:51 PM
...and just to show that I've really made some progress, I have an alternative to the original Colorblind Scientist thought experiment that I find scientifically (and maybe even philosophically) interesting, and that might address my concern with the originally stated thought experiment. I think Win's post about the "red detector" machine sparked this idea...
Instead of being raised in white light (which might not allow her to ever distinguish between colors), Mary is indeed raised in Red, Green, and Blue light, but only one color at a time. She has Red days, and Blue days, and Green days. The wavelengths of light are pure and are tuned to the center of her color receptor cell sensitivities. So she is exposed to all of her "primary" colors, but never sees any combinations of them, and never sees them "next to" each other. Of course she does all of the requisite reading (which I still maintain is a wasted exercise: abstract knowlege != experience).
Then she is let out of the room. She sees Yellow, and Orange, and Purple, and all of the other colors "in between" Red, Green, and Blue. Does she experience anything new? Almost certainly. Could she have anticipated what she sees? Almost certainly not. I think this is more what the KA folks had in mind.
Does the brain have to see the colors together to be able to eventually differentiate between them? Some might say that the neural pathways are only strengthened by seeing the differences simultaneously (or nearly simultaneously). If the lights are alternated more quickly (every second, say), would that make a difference? (if you look at very rapidly alternating red and green lights that are in the same area of your visual field, you will "see yellow", even though they are never on at the same time - maybe due to simple retinal persistance?)
These are scientifically interesting questions. Would she see color in the same way you and I do?
I don't know...
(and I'm not afraid to admit it!) :)
Instead of being raised in white light (which might not allow her to ever distinguish between colors), Mary is indeed raised in Red, Green, and Blue light, but only one color at a time. She has Red days, and Blue days, and Green days. The wavelengths of light are pure and are tuned to the center of her color receptor cell sensitivities. So she is exposed to all of her "primary" colors, but never sees any combinations of them, and never sees them "next to" each other. Of course she does all of the requisite reading (which I still maintain is a wasted exercise: abstract knowlege != experience).
Then she is let out of the room. She sees Yellow, and Orange, and Purple, and all of the other colors "in between" Red, Green, and Blue. Does she experience anything new? Almost certainly. Could she have anticipated what she sees? Almost certainly not. I think this is more what the KA folks had in mind.
Does the brain have to see the colors together to be able to eventually differentiate between them? Some might say that the neural pathways are only strengthened by seeing the differences simultaneously (or nearly simultaneously). If the lights are alternated more quickly (every second, say), would that make a difference? (if you look at very rapidly alternating red and green lights that are in the same area of your visual field, you will "see yellow", even though they are never on at the same time - maybe due to simple retinal persistance?)
These are scientifically interesting questions. Would she see color in the same way you and I do?
I don't know...
(and I'm not afraid to admit it!) :)