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The discussion today about color reminded me of a physics lab I did a few weeks ago involving light waves and vision. In the lab my partner and I proved to ourselves that most of the colors that we see in the world do not actually correspond to specific light waves and are fully constructions of our brains. For example there are no wavelengths of light that correspond to magenta, brown, etc. Yet it is still incredible to me that with only 3 types of cones ("red", "green", and "blue" cones) the brain is able to create an infinite number of colors, shades, and hues. I know that every single possible ratio of absorbtions for these cones will cause a separate constructed color, and if I actually did a statistical analysis of all the possible permutations I would find that it does indeed make sense. But it is still amazing and a great example of the creative power of the brain. Also, because color is such a fundamental part of life, and we have a very difficult time grasping that no those leaves aren't truly green, it makes me wonder what other "truths" we are taking for granted. I'm most interested about this idea in the context of touch. Touch has always been my favorite sense, one because in my opinion it can lead to the greatest amount of enjoyment and pleasure, and two because it has always seemed like the most reliable and "true" of the senses. However, I assume that the brain can construct the sensation of touch just as easily as it can construct vision. The question is then how it would do that, how often it does, and why. Are the things that we "feel" real?