Monday, May 12, 2014

Seeing the Light

The spectrum of visible light is continuous with an unlimited number of wavelengths between minimum and maximum values we can discern. We, however, perceive this evenly distributed scale of information in named chunks that are fairly universal (red, green, yellow, etc.) What is it about our visual processes that makes these fairly universal distinctions? Why don't some people see as a primary color the area between what we call blue and green? Or yellow and red? There is no "clumping" of light wavelengths at any point along the spectrum to match our commonly named categories, therefore it's accurate to say that our perception of colors must be a distorted and deformed version of reality. How often do our brains lump information together automatically like this? In how many ways are our perceptions similarly skewed without realizing it?


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