How Would You Describe Green To A Blind Person?

[inksplotter]

Apart from being the colour of trees, leaves and grass? Something they could imagine?

[Old_Geezer]

Depends on whether they have previous experience of sight or were blind from birth. If the latter one can only draw comparisons from maybe sounds, or touch. Which is all very subjective. Maybe speak of a pastoral symphony ?

[sandyRoe]

That it's a colour everywhere in nature. Grass, plants, leaves, most are green. Because of that it's natural and many find it peaceful.

[inksplotter]

SandyRoe, I did say you can't use the words "trees", "leaves" and "grass". Maybe you could describe it through a different sense?

[boxtops]

Would they have any concept of colour, though, if they have been blind from birth? I don't know if blind people can sense colour, since their senses are so heightened.

[inksplotter]

I believe I can see colours when I close my eyes, boxtops. The problem would try to trying to describe these abstract colours.

[Elina]

Fresh & bright.

[jomifl]

about middle C on a spectrum of colours? Any synaesthesics on AB?

[888]

Think of a bright thought and a dark thought, between these two imagine animals in a field and the smell of roses balancing. You can make it as shaded as you wish. (Heck it sounds like a flower-power song, sorry!)

[Bazile]

Surely if a person is blind from birth , they cannot have any concept of what anything is in the world ; so you cannot try and liken colours to anything .

[Zacs-Master]

I agree with Bazile. It's not possible.

[hc4361]

The taste of cucumber, fresh.
Red, the feel of velvet, luxurious
Blue, the feel tepid water, calming
Yellow, the feel of the sun, warming and cheery
Pink, the taste of sugar, sweet and can be sickly
Black, the feeling before a thunder storm, oppressive and miserable
Orange, the taste of an orange, sharp and tangy
White, the feeling of love for your child, pure

[inksplotter]

Bazille, blind people do have concepts of hundreds of things. Anyway you probably haven't had experience of time travel, but you must have some concept on it?

[Bazile]

They might have ' concepts ' , but it obviously cannot be accurate - because to have an accurate concept , you must have been able to see what it is that is being described .

Yes i can imagine time travel , but time travel is not a physical thing , to compare against

[Zacs-Master]

Colour is 100% visual. Without vision it can't be conceived.

[Elina]

I agree, the description obviously wont be accurate of the colour but a 'sense' of what it is.

[Old_Geezer]

Taste of cucumber ?!?!? I have never thought of green as vomit inducing before.

[Bazile]

we'll have to agree to disagree here .

As Zac says colour is purely visual - you cant smell/taste feel / hear it - so you cant use any of your remaining senses to ' sense' it

[hc4361]

Blind people that see absolutely nothing are very much in the minority. Most blind people who truly cannot see experience flashes of light occasionally and also sense a different shade of darkness when they close the eyes.
This is an excellent starting point to describe the concept of colour using the senses of touch, taste and sound to help explain differences and the wide range of colour.

There are many things that are known facts that I cannot understand, no matter how hard I try I cannot grasp the concept. I can probably explain these facts in a satisfactory manner even though I can't grasp them myself. I can, however, believe those facts are in fact, factual.
In the same way it is important that blind people have the chance to accept that colour exists and understand the terms of reference when colour crops up in conversation, as it often does.

This amazing man was born without eyes and is talented artist. He is one of many so-called blind artists.
http://www.armagan.com/

I believe there is an ABer who is such a person.

[Elina]

As is our resident woody hc43!

[hc4361]

Oh yes, thanks, Elina