The concept of color
We live in a world where a lot is taken for granted, and that includes colors. Nowadays, people seem unable to envision a world without colors since they are so accustomed to them. However, colors do not genuinely exist outside of our heads, despite what the majority of people on earth think. They are more akin to a device that our brain employs to aid in object recognition (Peshin, 2022).
Roses are not red, the sea is not blue, and lemons are not blue, despite how much the mind disagrees with this. It is easy to assume that colors are from light, but they are not comparable, and that is because whenever light enters our eyes, it can manifest itself as any color. The brain uses past memories to try to understand light, and in only a couple of seconds, it sees light differently. An experiment with 150 people of different ages, genders, and backgrounds to try and find out exactly how color memory works showed that while almost every adult assigned red to anger, blue to sadness, and yellow to happiness, children’s answers varied a lot. Some might even see a completely different color than most people, depending on their past experiences (Lotto, 2011).
Humans can see more.
Most creatures have cone cells in their eyes, and these cone cells enable them to see colors. But unlike most other mammals, humans are trichromats, which means we have three different types of cone cells, and they can even make combinations. It is estimated that the human eye can see more than a million different colors, while almost every other creature is only able to see less than ten thousand. And surprisingly, which language a person uses can decide how a person sees, since some languages have fewer words for certain colors (Duggan, 2023).
Why is it hard to think of a new color?
Even when the most creative person tries to think of a whole new color, they simply cannot. It turns out that no one can do it because it is not possible for us. The colors the human brain can process are only the colors we can see now, which means that to see or think of more colors, we will need to have more cone cells. Trying to imagine a new color would be the same thing as trying to explain what a certain color looks like to a person who was blind from the moment they were born. Although it is the harsh truth, the world is in fact a colorless, gray place (Peshin, 2022).
Do colorblind people see the true world?
The direct answer is that colorblind people can still see colors, but they can see some colors as a whole different color, or the color might get darker. It is actually closer to being confused by colors than being blind to them. So colorblind people can still process colors, just less of them, and they do not see a world devoid of colors. But the closest one can get is monochromacy, or total color blindness. They are extremely rare cases, but they still cannot see the world in complete gray, being able to still see black and white (Vaiiulaityt, 2017).
Conclusion
Even though colors are merely illusions, without them, life would seem drab, useless, and empty. If the world suddenly becomes dark and gloomy, it will also be much tougher for not only humans but also numerous other species to become lost in uncertainty. People should be taught to value colors more because they represent a small fraction of ideas and emotions. Additionally, there is currently no recognized treatment for color blindness; however, there are specialized glasses that can help some people see colors more clearly.
References
Duggan, G. (2022). Your brain is lying to you — colour is all in your head, and other ‘colourful’ facts. [online] Www.cbc.ca. Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/features/your-brain-is-lying-to-you-colour-is-all-in-your-head-and-other-colourful-f#:~:text=Colour%20is%20an%20illusion%2C%20not%20part%20of%20the%20real%20world&text=%E2%80%9CEvery%20colour%20that%20people%20see [Accessed 10 June 2023].
Lotto, B. (2011). Do you see what I see? BBC News. [online] 8 Aug. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14421303 [Accessed 10 June 2023].
Peshin, A. (2017). Is Color A Property Of Matter Or Generated In Our Brain? [online] Science ABC. Available at: https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/is-color-a-property-of-matter-or-generated-in-our-brain.html [Accessed 10 June 2023].
Vaičiulaitytė, G. (2019). Bored Panda. [online] Bored Panda. Available at: https://www.boredpanda.com/different-types-color-blindness-photos/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic [Accessed 10 June 2023].
