Let's Get Technical

[Si-man]

Nah her diabetes gave her blindness.

Its your optic nerve that comes apart when blind, im sure it would be black, there isnt anything else it can be...

[1a2bcio8]

Is it possible you think black because thats what you see when your eyeballs are looking at the back of your eye lids? Maybe you consider this not to be stimuli? Black is still a signal of some sort though. No signal, no black surely?

When you listen to music and your attention is away from your eyes, effectively you're not interperating any info from them; you don't see black, you see nothing which is not black. I think this is something of the same to not recieving info through your eyes. In that instance, your attention will just naturally fall on your other senses and sight will be a "nothing".

[ben_travis]

Good question. I've often thought about this...

Anyone ever seen the video of the kid who mastered echo sound? Really really impressive! Can play computer games, kicks arse in a pillow fight, and can detect anything really. I'll try find the link to the vid.

EDIT: Here you go. Blind kid very impressive.

that is seriously amazing. incredible actually. how he can play the video games i just dont know? amazing

[Tomm]

you don't see black, you see nothing which is not black.

Real black is the absence of any light though, it's as close to nothing as we can possibly imagine. Black means no photons are hitting our retina, no signal goes to the brain, nothing is seen. Of course, you have to experience something before you can comprehend nothingness, but in terms of what blind people can see, I'd say black is a good guess.

I am intrigued as to whether a blind person can visualise, say, a cube in the same way as I can. I doubt it. Interesting.

It's kinda like thinking about how Cavemen thought. Generally when I think, I do it in terms of words in my head. Without language, can you really think?

[1a2bcio8]

Real black is the absence of any light though, it's as close to nothing as we can possibly imagine. Black means no photons are hitting our retina, no signal goes to the brain, nothing is seen. Of course, you have to experience something before you can comprehend nothingness, but in terms of what blind people can see, I'd say black is a good guess.

I am intrigued as to whether a blind person can visualise, say, a cube in the same way as I can. I doubt it. Interesting.

It's kinda like thinking about how Cavemen thought. Generally when I think, I do it in terms of words in my head. Without language, can you really think?

I see what you mean. Hmmm. So in a sense, black is completely a construct of the mind seemingly "switched on" through external events or lack of? Whereas colours are the amalgamation of object/value communication through photons to your eyes and your minds interpretation of that communication. But is it neccesarily so that you need that contrast of stimuli/no stimuli to act as a switch for the experience of black? In which case perhaps the potential for blind people to experience black is possible? Maybe black is always there for blind people to experience but it's difficult to find with the minds eye seeing as it's basically devoid of stimuli. Especially when the other senses contain stimuli. Or perhaps they experience it but can put no meaning to it because it's all pervading. Humans seem to make sense of the world through dichotomies. Although that takes us back to the switch, in a sense.

In regards to thought, I don't think you need words. Some of the confusing problems with thought exist because of words, like certain sematical paradoxes:

"if god is omnipotent, can god create a rock too heavy for himself to lift?" - a good one to give to christians

A lot of practises like buddhism, yoga etc. are designed to help you stop viewing the world and your thoughts through words because of the difficulties they cause. Also general semantics considers words and their relationship to thought and psychology and reccommends not talking for a year. Supposedly this does a lot to your interpretation of reality, or your perception.

In your development, thought came before words.

Thinking about it, isn't the abstract concept "nothing" giving us all a bit of confusion?

There really is no such thing as nothing if you think about it. Paradox

Hehe

[Jang]

How are they supposed to get a ard' on from a girl if they carnt see them,But can hear them?

You don't see girls on those 0900 numbers that charge £300000 a minute.. but they give you a hard on..

How can it be a more beautiful world, never seeing your girlfriend naked?

Trust me.. when mine gets naked, i have to close my eyes! being blind when that happens is heavenly

Nothings stopping them from imagining smells and sound though?

Why imagine? I'll just stand by one and fart.. First they hear it.. second they smell it.

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

do blind people go on deaf dates?

[PaRtZ]

Quick google:

Caption: In one of Kennedy’s early studies a woman, blind from birth, drew this picture of a horse.

wait a minute, how did she know what a horse looks like? how come she didn't think that all animals have 4 eyes to see better? or 3 heads etc. :S

[Simon]

EDIT: Here you go. Blind kid very impressive.

That, is truely immense.

[Shaun H]

do blind people go on deaf dates?

HAHAhAHAHAHAhA! That's so good...

Blind kid is definitely a human/dolphin love child.