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Reply to Philipona and O'Regan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2008

KENT JOHNSON  and
WAYNE WRIGHT
KENT JOHNSON
Affiliation:
Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Irvine, California
WAYNE WRIGHT*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, California State University, Long Beach, California
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Wayne Wright, Department of Philosophy, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90840. E-mail: wwright2@csulb.edu
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Abstract

This paper responds to Philipona and O'Regan (2006), which attempts to account for certain color phenomena by appeal to singularities in the space of “accessible information” in the light striking the retina. Three points are discussed. First, it is unclear what the empirical significance/import is of the mathematical analysis of the data regarding the accessible information in the light. Second, the singularity index employed in the study is both mathematically and empirically faulty. Third, the connection drawn between their findings and some data from the World Color Survey is lacking in quantitative analysis in places where it is needed. The difficulties raised prevent Philipona & O'Regan's conclusions from being accepted.

Keywords

ColorReflectancePhotopigmentsPrincipal component analysisWorld Color Survey
Type
Brief Communication
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , March 2008 , pp. 221 - 224
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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References

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