About Color

A Philosophical Question

 

            Color.  It plays such a very large role in our lives.  But what is it, really?  Can one truly describe color?  Let us consider.

Science tells us a lot of technical things about color.  Color is, according to science, defined as a specific frequency of electromagnetic radiation.  That's a long way of saying that, on the radiation spectrum, there is a section of frequencies that the human eye can detect.  This is what we call visible light.  That spectrum runs from red through to violet.  The frequencies on either side of this section are invisible to the human eye.

 

            However, many misconceptions are believed about light.  For instance, there is no such thing as "white" light.  There is no frequency of electromagnetic radiation that can, by itself, be perceived as white.  White light is, instead, a combination of frequencies that, when seen by the eye and interpreted by the brain, appear white.  This is our first indication that what we see is not, in fact, the truth.

 

            Next, science tells us that color is not actually inherent in an object.  What is inherent, is that object's ability to reflect and absorb light.  That favorite blue shirt is not, in fact, blue.  It is, indeed, every color except blue.  It appears as blue to us because when all of the frequencies of light (what we call "white light") strike the shirt, all of the frequencies of light are absorbed, except for the blue ones, which get reflected into our eyes, and interpreted by our brains as the color blue.  This is our second indication that what we see is not, in fact, the truth.

 

            Let us further consider this: Many insects can see not only the colors we see, but also into the ultraviolet.  We have attempted to reproduce the effect with ultraviolet filters to show us that portion of the spectrum, but this is also not accurate.  Because it filters out all of the other colors besides those in the UV range, it isn't an accurate reproduction of what we would really see if our eye could actually see into the ultraviolet spectrum.  So, our eyes do not see everything labelled as "color".  This is yet another indication that what we see is not, in fact, the truth.

 

            Further, there are only so many rods and cones in the human eye.  Light striking these rods and cones activates them, and they then send a signal to the brain which then interprets the signal and allows us to "see" an image.  The signal sent to our brain is composed of millions of dots, but we see a fully blended, complete image.  Also, there are indications that, like the screen on a computer monitor, the eye contains receptors for three different colors: red, green, and blue.  Different frequencies of light activate the receptors to different levels, and the brain then interprets this to achieve just one of the 16.7 million colors the human eye can perceive.  Again, the brain must interpret the image sent to it by the eye.  All of this information leads us to the conclusion that what we perceive, or what we "see", is not, in fact, the truth.

 

            Which leads us back to our initial question: What is color?  Let us consider a more narrowly defined question.  Is the color I perceive as green the same color you perceive as green?  This question requires a little explanation, so let us consider it.

 

            A specific frequency of light enters the eye.  This frequency activates the three sets of receptors (red, green, blue) to specific levels.  Those receptors send specific signals back to the brain.  So far, all of this is proven to be exactly the same in every normal human body.

 

            However, we then reach the sticky point.  The brain must now interpret the signal.  As with everything else, interpretation of the image depends on many things, not the least of which is experience.  If I have never in my life witnessed the color green, will my mind be able to interpret it, or will I see some strange amalgam of colors I am familiar with?

 

            To proceed, how can we assume that every brain interprets the colors the same?  Let us try a thought experiment.  We have this special device, that allows us to see the interpreted brain image up on a screen.  In other words, the image on the screen will have been interpreted by the subject's brain, and then projected on the screen.  If he is looking at a picture of grass, will the grass appear, to you and me, to be green on the screen?  Or will it, in fact, look purple?  Or yellow?  Or chartreuse?  In fact, the image will not look appropriate to the original viewer either.  That is, the subject supplying us with the image, if he views the image, will not see the proper color either.  The color will have to be re-interpreted, and will not look correct.

 

            The human mind is amazing.  Even this possiblity does not confuse it.  It is all a matter of perception.  Everything depends on your point of view.  According to Fox Mulder, the truth is out there, but unless you are perceiving it correctly, you will never find it.

 

            What is color?  I don't know.  Does it matter?  I'm not sure of that either.  The only thing I am positive of is this: No matter what color your world is, if you can keep a positive light on it, things will always look brighter.