"In 1688, John Locke received a letter from scientist William Molyneaux posing a curious philosophical riddle: Suppose a blind man learned to identify a cube and a sphere by touch. If the shapes were then laid before him and his vision restored, could he identify them by sight alone?"
Futility Closet has the answer
I think the question is vexatious.
ReplyDeleteI also think the answer both of them inclined toward is most probably wrong.
I've spent some time working with blind people, and I have no doubt that they'd generally score higher than Molyneaux and Locke suggest.
Could a blind person, suddenly sighted, perceive the difference between smooth curve and angularity, and relate it to previously experienced touch? I think the answer would, more often than not, be yes.
Thanks for the comment. I wouldn't even venture an opinion.
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