Un- Answerable Question??

[Smowball]

I tried to explain this question I have to MrSmow but he looked at me as tho I was mad and so I gave up lol!

My question, which I've pondered about for ages and ages is this : if somebody is born blind, so they have literally no concept of what anything looks like, then as they grow up, learn to speak, smell, touch, interact with others as best as they can without sight, then what do they see, if anything, in their mind when something is described to them??For example, say a blind person is given a flower to smell, and they can smell it beautifully, then the other person tries to explain what a flower is and what it looks like..... it has a long stem, a round red flower with petals on top..... well how do/can, they imagine what a stem is, what a petal is....... 

Or imagine a cat - it's a furry creature with 4 legs and a tail..... what do they see in their head? Anything?? or, it's pyramid shaped..... how do they imagine a pyramid?

Does anyone see what I'm trying to get at or am I making no sense? lol.

[calmck]

Have you read about Helen Keller. It might give you some insight

[Ken4155]

I see what you're getting at, Smow, but i can only hazard a guess that people born blind will form an image in their minds whenever they touch or smell something. Whether that image is anything like what we actually see is another question entirely. And not one i can answer.

[Smowball]

Calmck - no I haven't, I'll look the name up.

Ken, that's what I mean - say you said to a blind person imagine a circle, and then asked them to draw it, without even having tried to describe what a circle was, what would they draw? 
Sorry, it all sounds a bit silly lol. 

[Neveracrossword]

Smow... you could give them a coin, a plate, a glass and easily describe the concept of a circle. 

[MargoTester]

https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=helen%20keller&tbm=&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5
well worth a read smow an inspirational woman

[pastafreak]

This might freak you out. Google "Aphantasia"...the inability to picture things in your minds eye.

What if that is combined with blindness? 

[Countrylover]

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[DTCwordfan]

I heard that she met her husband on a blind date.....

[Old_Geezer]

Whatever they can deduce from feeling.

[Countrylover]

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[Barsel]

I'm not 100% sure what you mean Smow, but blind people will have to be taught things in life just like sighted people but they would have to touch objects and people's faces while someone describes what they are touching.

As far as cats are concerned, perhaps it would be possible to hand a cat to the blind person while describing it and if the cat is friendly enough, would let that person feel their head, ears, whiskers, tail etc so they can then imagine what the cat looks like.

As I said, I'm not sure if this is what you mean?

[Patsy33]

I'm sure that there are blind artists out there. Whether they were born blind I don't know. Maybe..

[Countrylover]

Helen wasn't born blind and deaf.  I didn't realise that, so at least she had a few  childhood years to remember what things looked like.

[naomi24]

There's an old film about Helen Keller starting Ann Bancroft and Patty Duke - 1979 I think.  I believe there's  been a remake but the original is well worth watching.

[naomi24]

*starring* not starting.

[naomi24]

Sorry, I forgot to say the film is called 'The Miracle Worker'.

[Barsel]

Is this the one you mean Naomi? This stars Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke.

The Miracle Worker is a 1962 American biographical film about Anne Sullivan, blind tutor to Helen Keller, directed by Arthur Penn.

[naomi24]

That's it Barsel.  Even older than I thought but nonetheless worth watching.

[andy-hughes]

I do understand your question,  but it needs a blind person to answer you properly. 

The rest of us can only guess, and imagine, and could be miles off.

[barry1010]

How do I know everyone except the colour blind sees the same colours? 

I have never been able to see pictures in my head.