Do individuals see colors the same?

[gonzomax]

@Broomstick

It doesn’t help that colorblindness manifests in more than one way.

I’ll let Dave speak for Dave - this only refers to my own experience as someone who officially doesn’t see the same exact colors as “normal” people.

Pure hues don’t give me trouble - even most pastels don’t give me problems. What gives me problems are secondary/tertiary colors with a slight green component.

Getting back to brown - something you see as brown I might see as a red-brown or yellow-brown. Or, as a specific case, I have had a coat that for years I’ve called brown because to me it’s brown. I have since been informed it is actually green. A brownish green, but green - but not to me. Some greens are green to me, but as you shade over towards other colors I’ll start saying “yellow” or “blue” before you do. Or “brown”. Or “grey”.

So, in a sense, I still have a full pallette, but the lid on my green paint is difficult to open and therefore that color doesn’t show up as frequently in my landscapes as yours.

The precise name (although I’ll probably trash the spelling) is deuteranomolous trichromacy - sometimes referred to as “colorweak” or “color deficient” as opposed to “colorblind”. There are some people who don’t see green at all - in which case yes, they would have a smaller palette to work with. But, of course, to someone born with that condition their vision would appear perfectly normal since that’s all they’ve ever known.

Getting back to OP - clearly at least some people perceive color differently than others, and this is traceable to actual biological differences in visual equipment. As to whether or not people with comparable visual systems see the same colors or have just agreed to use the same term for different things - well, we’re back to chasing philosophy and science around the room again.

Very informative answer. thank you