The Architecture of Color and the Encounter-Event

Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings · Sep 4, 2026 · 20m

Language philosopher Bry Willis argues that colour is not an inherent property of objects nor a purely internal mental fabrication, but rather a unique product of the encounter between a perceiver and the world. By examining biological mechanisms and the phenomenon of metamerism, the author demonstrates how different visual architectures—ranging from humans to mantis shrimp—structure reality into diverse sensory experiences. Willis rejects traditional theories like Lockean dualism or eliminativism, proposing instead a Mediated Encounter Ontology (MEOW) where subjects and objects co-emerge…