Who decided to call 'red' - red and why?
Who decided to call 'red' - red and why?
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Discussion

Mission Drift

Original Poster:

38 posts

215 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Who decided to call 'red' - red and why?

Anyone know? not knowing this simple fact has been getting at me for a while.

Marf

22,907 posts

271 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
I did.

jesta1865

3,453 posts

239 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Mission Drift said:
Who decided to call 'red' - red and why?

Anyone know? not knowing this simple fact has been getting at me for a while.
is it just the one colour that makes you ask the question or all of them?

i wonder how a lot of things got their name.

snotrag

15,658 posts

241 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Ahhhh heres one of my favourite puzzlers.

2 People look at a Ferrari. Both recognise it as Red. It is, to all intents and purposes Red. They both recognice the colour of the car as similar to the colour of, say, a Poppy, which is also Red.

BUT - are they both seeing the same colour? If person A could see through Person B's eyes, would their brain still see Red?

Goochie

5,797 posts

249 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
snotrag said:
Ahhhh heres one of my favourite puzzlers.

2 People look at a Ferrari. Both recognise it as Red. It is, to all intents and purposes Red. They both recognice the colour of the car as similar to the colour of, say, a Poppy, which is also Red.

BUT - are they both seeing the same colour? If person A could see through Person B's eyes, would their brain still see Red?
I sometimes wonder that too!

Also, why is an Orange called an "orange" but a bannana is not a "yellow" ?

rude-boy

22,227 posts

263 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
snotrag said:
Ahhhh heres one of my favourite puzzlers.

2 People look at a Ferrari. Both recognise it as Red. It is, to all intents and purposes Red. They both recognice the colour of the car as similar to the colour of, say, a Poppy, which is also Red.

BUT - are they both seeing the same colour? If person A could see through Person B's eyes, would their brain still see Red?
I'm 99% sure i know what you are on about as it is a question i have pondered from time to time myself but never thought to post up!

motco

17,623 posts

276 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
snotrag said:
Ahhhh heres one of my favourite puzzlers.

2 People look at a Ferrari. Both recognise it as Red. It is, to all intents and purposes Red. They both recognice the colour of the car as similar to the colour of, say, a Poppy, which is also Red.

BUT - are they both seeing the same colour? If person A could see through Person B's eyes, would their brain still see Red?
Probably not.

SystemParanoia

14,343 posts

228 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
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this is going to be like the airplane & conveyorbelt thread isnt it... lol

Plotloss

67,280 posts

300 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Its the cones in the eyes that discern colour, so when something is red, it absorbs everything but the red wavelength which is reflected back. The cones that recognise red send the impulse to the brain which is interpreted as what is learned to be red.

If someone had always been told that red is blue then they would still see red but describe it as blue.

I think.

Piersman2

6,676 posts

229 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
snotrag said:
Ahhhh heres one of my favourite puzzlers.

2 People look at a Ferrari. Both recognise it as Red. It is, to all intents and purposes Red. They both recognice the colour of the car as similar to the colour of, say, a Poppy, which is also Red.

BUT - are they both seeing the same colour? If person A could see through Person B's eyes, would their brain still see Red?
I've considered this as well.

Would they view things like two different computer monitors with the same picture being displayed. You know, one is a bit brighter than other, maybe one computer is diplaying the reds slightly differently etc. Maybe one computer is showing blues as red and visa versa.

Maybe one computer is showing blues and reds as the same colour.... like colour blindness!!!



Edited by Piersman2 on Tuesday 11th November 12:30

The Riddler

6,565 posts

227 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
snotrag said:
Ahhhh heres one of my favourite puzzlers.

2 People look at a Ferrari. Both recognise it as Red. It is, to all intents and purposes Red. They both recognice the colour of the car as similar to the colour of, say, a Poppy, which is also Red.

BUT - are they both seeing the same colour? If person A could see through Person B's eyes, would their brain still see Red?
82.. Thats the answer. wobble

But seriously, its all down to perception. Red generally is recognised is been red, unless you happen to be colour blind.

I think people perceive different shades differently.

But who knows, will we ever know?

tonyvid

9,889 posts

273 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
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where is that :headpopping: smilie?

This will do for now...



Edited by tonyvid on Tuesday 11th November 12:33

AndyAudi

3,988 posts

252 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Mission Drift said:
Who decided to call 'red' - red and why?

Anyone know? not knowing this simple fact has been getting at me for a while.
I was thinking about the word red to describe wine in other languages and some are quite similiar sounding to english so it would suggest that the orignal word is rather old and has evolved differently in various locations/cultures ?

Mission Drift

Original Poster:

38 posts

215 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
Its the cones in the eyes that discern colour, so when something is red, it absorbs everything but the red wavelength which is reflected back. The cones that recognise red send the impulse to the brain which is interpreted as what is learned to be red.

If someone had always been told that red is blue then they would still see red but describe it as blue.

I think.
So what your saying is basically that it was my parents fault that I call red, red myself but what if they have lied to me about the colour...?

LilCat

1,613 posts

240 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
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Apparently some people see red as brown... (Thats what my psychology teacher told me ages ago)

OJ

14,209 posts

258 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
Its the cones in the eyes that discern colour, so when something is red, it absorbs everything but the red wavelength which is reflected back. The cones that recognise red send the impulse to the brain which is interpreted as what is learned to be red.

If someone had always been told that red is blue then they would still see red but describe it as blue.

I think.
I think the real question is is every person's perception of vision the same...

I wont comment otherwise we'll end up in some sort of argument about dualism or the little man that's looking at a screen inside the head of the little man that's looking at a screen inside the head of the little man that's looking at a screen inside the head of the little man that's looking at the screen inside your head!

The Riddler

6,565 posts

227 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
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While we're on this subject, what came first. The fruit or the colour (orange)

lazyitus

19,931 posts

296 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
snotrag said:
Ahhhh heres one of my favourite puzzlers.

2 People look at a Ferrari. Both recognise it as Red. It is, to all intents and purposes Red. They both recognice the colour of the car as similar to the colour of, say, a Poppy, which is also Red.

BUT - are they both seeing the same colour? If person A could see through Person B's eyes, would their brain still see Red?
I've ALWAYS wondered this, too.

I reckon we must see different shades of red, at least. Who's to say that what I see as red, somebody else sees as my green.

confused

This must be literally impossible to answer.

Davi

17,153 posts

250 months

Tuesday 11th November 2008
quotequote all
snotrag said:
BUT - are they both seeing the same colour? If person A could see through Person B's eyes, would their brain still see Red?
The hue and saturation may vary very slightly, but essentially yes. If they didn't, if they saw blue instead, they'd be classed as colour blind...

SleeperCell

5,591 posts

272 months