Special thanks to Alisha Greene for co-authoring this article.

Is the red that you see the same red that I see? Let’s take a red apple for example. We both call it “red” but are you sure that what you see as red is not what I see as blue? Just because we both agree to call it red does not necessarily mean that we are referring to the same color. Could it be possible that we see different colors even if we call them by the same name?

Color is the reflection of light rays off of objects, some is reflected, some is absorbed. Color isn’t a physical property, but rather one that we assign to an intangible concept ... light rays that somehow define our world. Because color is an intangible concept, there is no way we can be sure of an accurate interpretation of it. So who’s to say that it wasn’t distorted and varied from person to person along the way? It’s like a game of Telephone, where the initial message is nearly indiscernible from the final. The act of whispering is like the processes that occur in our brain as we give color to light.

If it is possible that we see different colors, can we also have differences in our experiences of other senses? How do we know that we smell the same smells, hear the same sounds, taste the same tastes, or feel the same sensations as the people around us? We perceive the world using the information we gain from our senses. We call the senses that we cannot share with one another qualia. Qualia allow us to define the unexplainable. For example, how would you describe color to the blind, or music to the deaf? You would probably try to use feelings, such as uplifting or depressing; however, you are not describing the color or music itself but your interpretation of it. Since we are restricted in explaining these senses, we cannot be sure that they are the same among all people. If our senses aren’t unquestionably the same, then how can we say with certainty that we perceive or experience the world in the same way?

Vision is our most dominant sense. Generally we believe our eyes to be video cameras, viewing the world through clear lenses. However, in reality it is like a collage of pictures. Some are cut apart or hidden, others are pushed to the forefront, and the rest simply blend into the background. We don’t see with our eyes, but with our brains; our eyes are merely portals through which the brain can attempt to decipher the world around us; reality is simply another illusion that we fool ourselves into believing.

For example, think of the first time you walked around your school, work, or new home. You can probably remember the building as it was the first time you saw it, completely different from the way you see it now. Chances are you remember the first time as an exaggeration of its true appearance. You know that it’s the same building, yet you perceive it to be different because of the experiences you have associated with it. The changes in your perspective suggest that your impression of the building itself evolved along with your familiarity with it.

In a sense, there is no reality. Everything that we see, hear, feel, or do is filtered through our brains. We never actually observe what is truly in the world around us, we see our interpretation of it and we have to remember that perception is the greatest deception. “If our brains are constantly filtering every experience, there is no way anyone can claim to know what is “really” real. You can’t step outside your brain to fathom what lies beyond it.” (Flesher)

Through our varied interpretations, we can begin to form opinions based on what we experience. Perhaps this is the causal mechanism of people’s differing preferences in colors, tastes, sounds, and textures. As humans, we tend to associate with people who understand us. However, it is necessary to note that in order to understand any other person, one must be able to grasp some concept of the world in which that person lives. Therefore, what if the people we are able to form a connection with are the ones who experience their world in a way similar to ours?

The idea of qualia allows for the notion that we experience our lives differently than those around us. Although we cannot prove that we do not all see the world in the same way, we are led to believe that it is nearly impossible to perceive the world in its precise and exact entirety. As Joseph Conrad said in his novel "Heart of Darkness" “It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream—making a vain attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation, that commingling of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured by the incredible which is of the very essence of dreams. No, it is impossible; it is impossible to convey the life-sensation of any given epoch of one’s existence."

"We live, as we dream—alone.”