Nice picture, isn't it?
Er, is it?

We see the world in a way that seems so sensible, so complete, that we assume everyone sees the world in the same way. We're willing to accept that other people maintain different beliefs, live through different experiences, manage thought patterns by way of varying levels of rationality, intelligence, artistic sensibility--we accept that others interpret the world we all see in different ways.

But are we really looking at the same world in the first place?

The blind do not see the world. We can accept this idea, even if we can't fully imagine ourselves into the lives of those who have never seen the world, or the lives of those who have lost the ability to see the world.

We imagine that the senses of hearing, touch, smell, and taste are enhanced for those who cannot see--we take our own hearing and touching and smelling and tasting experiences, and we imagine increased sensitivity; our own world, but with clearer sounds, with detailed surfaces and potent scents.

But is it really the same world?

I'm colorblind. I cannot translate the longer wavelengths of light into clear color--the reds and greens you experience are different experiences for me.

What number do you see?

How clearly do you see it? There is, in fact, a number buried in the gray: 83. I can't see it. Most people can. I'm colorblind, most likely you're not; you see a number that clearly exists. Does it exist for me? Is it there if I can't see it?

This box, in my eyes just as gray as the previous box, also contains a number: 37. I can see the number 37. When I see this number, I begin to imagine the ability to see "83" in the first box--what it would look like. To a person with a certain sort of color blindness, both numbers are invisible. Because I exist somewhere in the middle, I feel I understand both perspectives: yes, there is a number; and yes, some people cannot see it. And I believe the numbers exist--even the ones I can't see.

Here's a third example: this box contains the number 49. I can't see it. Most people with any type of color blindness won't. Even people who have normal color vision may have difficulty seeing the second digit clearly. Do you see a number? Do you see the number 44 or 49?

Let's take a minute break. Imagine yourself writing this post, inserting the images, offering a write-up of each number. Not too difficult to imagine, I hope.

For example, I forgot to label these tests when I downloaded them. The first test I can almost see, but not well enough to take a numerical stand; nor will I take a stand with the last test. The second test looks like clear case of the number 25; the third-to-last looks like the number 16. The sixth example looks, more or less, like the number 8. Now, I specifically downloaded the fifth test here to demonstrate how tricky this gets. I see the fifth test as another cut-and-dry example--in fact, it appears more clearly to me than the "25" in case two. The fifth test clearly looks like the number 2. Not a vague 2, or an almost 2. We're talking about the number 2. I've seen twos around, from time to time. I know what they look like. They look like this 2.

But it's not a 2, is it?

If it's not a 2, then I'm on my own. When I don't see things, and someone says, "Hey, Taboo! Look how beautiful those things you can't see are! Aren't they wonderful?" I feel okay. I have faith. I don't need to see everything first-hand. If the someone has good eyes, and the person is trustworthy, I'm happy to play along. But give me a 2, and you're going to have a hard time telling me it isn't there.

Is it the same world? Are we really capable of seeing outside ourselves?

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