What do blind people dream about? Options

[Goldie]

So, I was doing my usual pondering when suddenly a question hit me! What do blind (from birth) people dream about? Is it just voices? Or does their brain make up colours? And images? What the hell happens!?

[Nana Kai]

That's a good question. Maybe they don't have dreams. It could just be all black...you know...void-ness. (。-`_´-)ゞ ?

[JET73L]

I seem to remember having read about this sort of thing. Some people who weren;t blind from birth, but merely from a young age (under 3 years, and in one case under 1 year) can see things in their dreams (though not like a sighted person;s dream, though they lack the reference to describe it. As for people blind from birth, the only thing I remember is that the question was evaded. Either he or someone else, another time, couldn;t describe it, and admitted so.

Somewhat unrelated: Language is so constraining. Even lojban is unable to properly explain things that don;t even have a basis for idea in language (the problem with perfect descriptive languages is that all the people old enough to create or further it have already learned the constraints of their previous language, or even if they were taught a perfect descriptive language from birth, the constraints of the creators of the language. Sort of like trying to pull yourself up by your bootstraps when wearing loafers.)

[Goldie]

Somewhat unrelated: Language is so constraining.

I agree. That's why we have to invent new words to describe things.

[Mugen]

I guess because they only have a vague perception of what things look like, through what they can feel with the senses that still function , their dreams would look pretty unreal to us.

And I dont think it's all blackness, they have an imagination, if we can dream of things that don't exist, so can they, IMO there's no difference there.

[Guest_Sephiroth_*]

In my oppinion, blind people can dream...

Technically speaking their eyes don't work, or maybe the optic nerve would be damaged, but their brain should actually still be able to create a vision of what they think would be something.

say the seaside, if you describe a seaside to a blind person, they would still be able to imagine it, otherwise they wont ask. This way they would dream about it, and see what they think is that image. and from there, the descriptions of the teller would come alive in the blind persons brain, and they would be able to see the going on's and the crashing of the waves.

However it's confusing... what would it look like? if we had never seen the sea and had to imagine it? would our minds create a complete failure into what can be seen?

[Trunks]

And I dont think it's all blackness, they have an imagination

People's imaginations depend on what they see in real life.
I've read about it, yes blind people dream... however, blind people since birth can only have auditory dreams, but for the rest of blind people they can have dreams just like we do, it depends on how much that person could see before turning blind, a blind woman said her mother was forever 30, in her dreams she imagine her in that age because she wasn't blind back then.

This post has been edited by Trunks: Jun 13 2008, 12:24 AM

[Goldie]

say the seaside, if you describe a seaside to a blind person, they would still be able to imagine it, otherwise they wont ask. This way they would dream about it, and see what they think is that image. and from there, the descriptions of the teller would come alive in the blind persons brain, and they would be able to see the going on's and the crashing of the waves.

That seems like reasonable assumption.

Does anyone know a blind person? We need someone to go and answer this question!

[Mugen]

That would be pretty uncomfortable

"Umm, you're blind since birth, yes? So do you dream?"

[Goldie]

If I were blind I'd be happy if people were interested - I'd be like 'Hell fucking yeah I dream, last night I had one about a turkey!'

[Žęρħŷŗσŋ]

Whoa! The latest reply here was like two years ago! Where is everyone???

[Ichi-san]

Your telling me. I knew most of these people when I joined. And now... they're gone!