AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
4min snip
The "Self" Is An Illusion | Thomas Metzinger | Escaped Sapiens #72
The Escaped Sapiens Podcast
The Evolution of Color Vision and the Useful Fiction of Color Qualia
Color vision emerged as an evolutionary advantage, particularly for species like certain monkeys in Western Africa who rely on distinguishing red and green to identify nutrient-rich leaves. While color qualia, or the perception of colors, are often debated as non-existent in scientific terms, they serve an important function by increasing contrast, allowing for a more detailed perception of the environment compared to the black-and-white view. This highlights a common misconception in philosophy: that color experience represents a direct correspondence to reality rather than a complex interpretation of light reflection properties. A phenomenon like color constancy illustrates the brain's remarkable ability to perceive the same color despite varying lighting conditions, showcasing the brain's computational feats. Ultimately, many interpretations of sensory experiences, including the sense of self, can be seen as useful fictions that have evolved to assist survival and reproduction rather than direct reflections of the physical world.
00:00
Transcript
Episode notes
Get the Snipd
podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any
moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share
& Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode