In Galileo's Error, Philip Goff quotes Knut Nordby, an expert in color vision who has achromatopsia:
"I believe Mary will be able to sense and discriminate and sense color hues but will not be able to name them on the basis of her knowledge".
I'd like to push back on this a little, although I am not claiming this bears significantly on the argument itself. The brain is thought to have evolved such that the experienced vividness of red triggers an instinctive sense of danger in us—so that the sight of blood makes us realize the gravity of a situation, for instance. Hence, it's not unreasonable to expect Mary's brain to recognize the color known to produce specific reactions in people (remember, she knows everything there is to know about color). I find it plausible that she would be able to identify the primary colors.
Apr 3
at
8:19 PM
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