Colors are objective, according to two philosophers − even though the blue you see doesn’t match what I see

He is Green green? Maybe not. What appears to be pure green for me is likely to look a bit yellow or blue for you. This is because the visual systems differ from person to person. Moreover, the color of the object It may appear differently Against different backgrounds or under different lighting.

These facts may lead you to the belief that the colors are subjective. This, unlike the features such as length and temperature, colors are not objective features. Either there is nothing real, or colors for observers and their viewing conditions.

But cognitive contrast has lost you. we Philosophers who Ticket Colors, objectivity and scienceAnd we argue in our book “Metaphysics“These colors are objective, such as length and temperature.

Cognitive contrast

There is a sudden amount of contrast in how people realize the world. If a group of people introduce a group of color chips ranging from Carters to purple color and ask them to choose A unique green chip – The slide without yellow or blue in it – Their choices differ greatly. In fact, there will be no single chip that most observers agree to be unique green.

In general, the object wallpaper can lead to radical changes in how to perceive its colors. If you put a gray object on a lighter background, it will look darker than if you were putting it on a darker background. Perhaps this difference in perception is more striking when Show an object under different lightingWhere the red apple can look green or blue.

Of course, you are facing something different that does not prove that what is experienced is not objective. The water that feels cold for someone may not feel cold for another. Although we do not know who feels “properly”, or whether this question is logical, we can know the water temperature and assume that this temperature is independent of your experience.

Likewise, you can change the appearance of the color of something that is not the same to change its color. You can make the apple look green or blue, but this is not evidence that apples are not red.

For comparison, and The moon looks larger When it is on the horizon more than it appears near Zenith. But the size of the moon has not changed, only its appearance. Consequently, the appearance of the color or size of the object varies, in itself, there is no reason to believe that its color and size are not objective features of the object. In other words, the characteristics of an object are independent of how it appears to you.

However, because there is a lot of contrast on how organisms appear, how do you actually determine the color of something? Is there a way to determine the color of something despite many different experiences that you may have?

Colors

Determining the color of something may be to determine whether it is red or blue. But we suggest a different approach. Note that the squares that appear to be the same shade of pink against different backgrounds look different against the same background.

It is easy to assume that to prove that objective colors require knowledge of observers and lighting conditions and backgrounds are the best or “normal”. But identifying the appropriate observers and viewing conditions is not required to determine the very specific color of the object, regardless of its name. It is not required to determine whether they have the same color.

To determine whether they have the same color, the observer will need to display objects along with the same background and under different lighting conditions. If you drew a portion of the room and find that you do not have enough paint, for example, finding a matching is very difficult. Color matching requires that no observer be seen in any lighting condition as a difference between the new and the old paint.

Two people can determine whether they have the same color even if they do not agree exactly what this color is – just as a group of water can have a certain temperature without feeling the same for me and you – it seems convincing to us that the colors are objective features of our world.

Colors, science and lack of ambiguity

It is difficult to clarify daily reactions with colors – such as matching paint samples, determining whether your shirt and pants, and even your ability to explain artwork – whether the colors are not objective features of the objects. But if you move to science and look at many ways that researchers think about colors, it will become more difficult.

For example, in the field Color scienceScientific laws are used to explain how organisms and light affect perception and the colors of other organisms. Such laws, for example, predict what happens when mixing colored dyes, when you see contrasting colors simultaneously or respectively, and when you look at colored beings in different lighting conditions.

Philosophers Hillary Putnam and Williad Van Ourman Quinn have made what is known as the name An indispensable argument. The basic idea is that if there is something indispensable for science, it must be real and objective – otherwise science will not work as it does.

For example, you may wonder whether the entities that cannot be observed such as electrons and electromagnetic fields are already present. However, as the argument says, the best scientific explanations assume the existence of such entities, and therefore they must be present. Likewise, because mathematics is indispensable for contemporary sciences, some philosophers argue that this means Mathematical organisms are objective And existence independently of a person’s mind.

Likewise, we suggest that the color is indispensable A role in evolutionary biology. For example, the researchers argued that APosematism – Use colors to indicate a warning to predators – also benefits The animal’s ability to collect resources. Here, animal coloring works directly to expand its position to collect food as much as possible predators that the animal is toxic or toxic.

In fact, animals can take advantage of the fact that the color style itself can be perceived differently through different realization. For example, some Damselfish has ultraviolet face patterns This helps in admitting them by other members of their types and communicating with their potential colleagues with a largely hidden survival of predators unable to perceive ultraviolet colors.

In short, our ability to determine whether the organisms are colored as they are or different, and the indispensable roles in science indicate that the colors are real and objective such as length and temperature.

This article has been republished from ConversationAn independent, non -profit news organization brings you facts and trusted analysis to help you understand our complex world. Written by: Ala Shishand Oborn University and Michael Watkinsand Oborn University

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The authors do not work on shares, consult them, or receive them from any company or institution that will benefit from this article, and have not revealed any related affiliations that exceed its academic appointment.