I disagree (except that I do think it's a bad definition), those frequencies are important.
But the receptors aren't only tuned to a single wavelength, or we would be nearly blind, only able to see things in a three single frequencies. The cells have a bell shaped curve (iirc) response to light around the red, green and blue frequency, and it's the relative levels where they overlap that "defines" the qualia.
Other animals have often have a different range of frequencies that their receptor cells are tuned too. Imagine a creature which can see into the infra-red watching a human TV. Stomatopods would need a twelve colour TV rather than three.
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Date: 2009-01-09 03:40 pm (UTC)But the receptors aren't only tuned to a single wavelength, or we would be nearly blind, only able to see things in a three single frequencies. The cells have a bell shaped curve (iirc) response to light around the red, green and blue frequency, and it's the relative levels where they overlap that "defines" the qualia.
Other animals have often have a different range of frequencies that their receptor cells are tuned too. Imagine a creature which can see into the infra-red watching a human TV. Stomatopods would need a twelve colour TV rather than three.