SOLVED. some kind of mind sharing or telepathy [s]

[Kate]

I think there was a gimmick that allowed people to experience the world from inside another person's brain. One of the interesting moments is when one character "sees" through his/her lover's perspective, and is disappointed and turned off because she/he sees colors and life in washed out tones -- almost grayscale. It really made me think about how we only make personal/cultural contracts that THIS COLOR is BLUE. My blue might be more greenish than your blue. Whose blue is correct?

[Andy]

Sounds a bit like Egan's "Closer" which is available online legally at http://eidolon.net/?story=Closer&...

[Kate]

Thanks Andy for the suggestion. I just read it, and it is interesting. However, it's not the one I'm thinking about. My search is for one that is a little more narrative, and not quite such obvious philosophical ruminations.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Should we assume fiction? What year published?

[Kate]

Yes, assume fiction. I think I read it in the last 10 years; it could have been written 5-10 years before that.

Thanks for the inquiries!

[Kate]

Bump

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Kate wrote: "... It really made me think about how we only make personal/cultural contracts that THIS COLOR is BLUE."

Btw, this is a fallacy (popularized by a couple of popular non-science writers). Because, electromagnetic wavelengths.

When we point at something that's a 'color' it's reflecting the same wavelengths to both of our eyes. Our eyes use the same type of genetically programmed cones (64%) "red", (32%) "green", & (2%) "blue", triggering the same chemicals (eg: rhodopsin and photopsins), firing into the same types of nerves.

You are not a unique flower.

Unless you're colorblind (and see less), or are subject cDa29, who is the only known human tetrachromat, who has four functional photopigments (and - it appears - spare capacity in the optic nerve to carry another color-channel, and perhaps? processing stuff in the brain that allows that information to be useful).

If you're saying that it's a cultural contract that the word 'blue' denotes a specific wavelength, well yes - yes it is. Just like it's called azure in another culture (or, what we call language). But the wavelength doesn't change, and if we have learnt the same definitions of words (this word == this wavelength), then we can communicate correctly.

Oh, and happy bump :D

[Kate]

Bumping for the uniqueness of perception and response.

[Kate]

Bump

[Kate]

Bump again. This may have been a short-story. It has that feel in my memory.

[Kate]

bump (via telepathy)

[Kate]

bump

[Nik]

It's probably not it but Neuromancer by William Gibson had both of the elements you mention (experiencing another's sensorium and the main character seeing through his lovers eyes).

BTW, the fact that we all see the same wavelengths of light through roughly the same biological equipment gives no indication that we are all perceiving the same color. For example, people with synesthesia perceive the same stimuli through the same sense organs as we do, but they can taste colors and see sounds. Perception is based on complex and unique neural processes.

[Nik]

There have also been several studies that show that color perception is heavily affected by language. People from cultures with languages that use the same word for blue and green for example are much worse at distinguishing between these colors than people from cultures with languages that differentiate blue and green. There's also some evidence that the complexity or maybe the age of a culture is directly proportionate to how many colors its members can distinguish. Some argue that ancient peoples saw basically in black and white with a little red.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Got a cite? Did they check for the population's predisposition to Tritanopia, for example?

[Nik]

I'm sure anyone interested can find the studies in question with a quick Google search (I believe I originally heard about one of these studies in an episode of Radiolab), but for a casual (and tangential) on-line discussion in support of a point that I consider self-evident I don't feel compelled to expend the effort tracking down the cite. Anyone who has ever taken LSD and watched the ceiling melt knows that perception is not solely reliant on objective sense stimuli. Although supportive, I don't think scientific study is necessary to decide this point. It can be seen through self-evident logic and basic experience.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Well, obviously I'm not searching correctly.

I guess I'll concur, scientific study isn't necessary to decide this point, and self-evident logic and basic experience as cited above. I rest my case :)

[Kate]

I read a book recently that talked about the colors seen by different civilizations and at different times in history. Since we have essentially the same sensory gear now that our forbears had 10,-000 years ago, we probably sensed colors. But what did they mean? If purple is not indicative of food or danger in your part of the earth, it may never get named as something important. So one place may be perceived as "simple" because green and blue essentially mean the samething in their context, and so are not differentiated into two colors or 20 shades of two colors. I'll look and see if I can find the book. It was quite good.

[Kate]

Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages by Guy Deutscher. He has other books I haven't read yet. This reminds me to get them from the library.

[Michele]

Kate wrote: "Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages by Guy Deutscher. He has other books I haven't read yet. This reminds me to get them fr..."

Looks very interesting, thanks!

[Kate]

bumping telepathically

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

You could look through the books tagged 'telepathy.'

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

[Erika]

This sounds like The Giver. I haven't read the book but a movie based on it came out not too long ago (trailer and info here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435651/?...) :)

[Kate]

Lobstergirl, I will look through that list.

Erika, it's definitely not the Giver or any of the other books in that series.

Thank you to both of you!

[Scott]

The Hollow Man involves two married telepaths, but I don't remember anything about colors. Very good story, though.

[Kate]

Thanks Scott. The Hollow Man isn't my book.

I looked through the telepathy list and didn't see anything that fit my book. I did find some books I want to read.

I'm pretty sure it was a short story. Maybe a novella.

[Andy]

How about "Through Other Eyes" by R. A. Lafferty - described here http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questi... (also excerpts of the story are here https://books.google.com/books?id=Y_F...)

The description of the story here (under "Literature") http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php... mentions the question of whether "blue" looks like "blue" to someone else.

[Andy]

"Through other Eyes" is in a book of stories about telepathy called Mind to Mind Mind To Mind: Nine Stories Of Science Fiction by the way.

[Andy]

Kate: Was it "Through Other Eyes"?

[Kate]

Yes! This is the story!
Andy, thank you so much!

I'm not sure what book I read it in. It's likely it was Mind to Mind.

This is definitely solved.

[Kate]

Nik wrote: "There have also been several studies that show that color perception is heavily affected by language. People from cultures with languages that use the same word for blue and green for example are m..."

I've also read about this phenomena!

[Andy]

Kate wrote: "Yes! This is the story!
Andy, thank you so much!

I'm not sure what book I read it in. It's likely it was Mind to Mind.

This is definitely solved."

Great! Glad that your story is finally identified.

[Kate]

Yes -- after 3 years!

[Michele]

Kate wrote: "Yes -- after 3 years!"

Never give up :)