Don’t you ever wonder about how we see things?
Philosophically?
No, literally.
With our eyes?
No. Well, yes. There are obviously scientific facts about things we see. Colors come from the way the light waves bounce or something like that, and those things are quantifiable, right?
I guess. Science isn’t my forte.
Mine either, but objects do exist and have dimensions and physical attributes, yes?
True.
But our own individual physicality varies slightly.
More than slightly.
I am just talking about the size and shape of our eyes, maybe how speedy our nerves are, that kind of stuff. If humans really share 98% of our DNA with chimps, I am going to stick with “slightly.”
Good point.
Thanks.
So anyway, if I remember correctly, we see because of light bounces off of objects, hitting the rods and cones in our eyes in a certain way and it bounces around in there and eventually the optical nerve transmits the image to our brain which interprets it.
And?
Well, take “red” for instance.
OK. I like red.
Me too. Particularly red shoes.
Who doesn’t?
Exactly. But do we all see red the same way? I mean, there’s a measurable, reproducible spectrum or wavelength of light that makes red…but how do we know that your rods and cones bounce it around your eyeballs and send it to your brain so it looks the same as my red?
Sure it does. If we had to pick it off of a chart, we’d both pick the same one, wouldn’t we?
Because the actual real color is scientific. But is what we see inside our heads the same?
Isn’t it?
I don’t think it is, because it gets sent to our brains and our brains interpret things differently. Look at eye witness testimony. People can see the same event and come up with totally different versions of the same event even if they are coached to watch carefully and remember.
So? Isn’t that different than the actual scientific fact of seeing a color?
Yes, but if we our brains do interpret something as basic as a color differently, what else is different? It just makes me wonder.
Everything makes you wonder.
True enough.
What does it make you wonder about?
It makes me wonder what else there is that we think of as objective that is really subjective? Or maybe not subjective but..individual?
Like what?
Music? Do we hear the same things? Taste the same things?
Does it matter?
I guess not, but it makes me wonder.
I also wonder why it is that water from a tiny little hole in the roof can let so much water in, but rain doesn’t come down the great big hole known as the chimney.
You’re wonder-ful.
Thanks.
No, I mean that you wonder a…uh..I can’t take that back or clarify it without coming across as a dick can I?
Absolutely not.
It doesn’t matter.
You are both wonderful and wondering. I don’t need to retract it.
