Scientists: Vision Determines How Colors Get Their Names

By Charles Choi

Scientists: Vision Determines How Colors Get Their Names

April 16, 2012 Updated Apr 16, 2012 at 3:27 PM PDT

(LiveScience) The order in which colors are named worldwide appears to be due to how eyes work, suggest computer simulations with virtual people.

These findings suggest that wavelengths of color that are easier to see also get names earlier in the evolution of a culture.

A common question in philosophy is whether or not we all see the world the same way. One strategy that scientists have for investigating that question is to see what colors get names in different cultures. Intriguingly, past research has found that colors familiar to one culture might not have names in another, suggesting different cultures indeed have distinct ways of understanding the world.

One mystery scientists have uncovered is that color names always seem to appear in a specific order of importance across cultures — black, white, red, green, yellow and blue.

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