Originally Posted by
ataraxis
On a philosophical perspective this is certainly plausible, but the problem is more or less solved when thought of with a scientific perspective, by understanding the process by which colors are created and furthermore how the eyes pick up colors and how the brain percieves them. Clearly, we pretty much consider reality to be a constant and therefore, colors have specific wavelengths (remember that color is a result of the type of light that reflects of an object), which is a constant. This is assuming that different people pick up the aforementioned wavelengths differently. However this generally results in pretty clear color blindness, which we can test for (for the most part).
An analogy for people who don't understand what he is saying...
Say that this is true, and what he is saying is true between two people. Notice that everytime I reference a color here I am talking about what "your" version of the color is, i.e., what you see.
You can look at a picture of a barn during the day. The grass is green, the barn is red, the sky is blue. The hay is yellow, etc.
Now, say you suddenly "switch bodies" with someone who has this changing colors thing going on. YOU might see a purple barn, a yellow sky, red grass, and green hay. You think "what is wrong with his colors?" However, he thinks that your yellow is actually his blue. Remember that because the words are really just associations that you form, he forms them to different colors because he sees them differently.
But generally you can't extend the idea too much further. I'm not doubting the possibility of it, because I don't know, but if perceptions just "switched" (i.e., your hot was my cold), then survival of the fittest wouldn't have worked so well, right? I would have put on a coat in the summer and passed out from heat stroke. Jumped in a pool during winter. Etc.[/b]
