Is it scientifically possible for a color to exist that has never been seen before?

Question

I don't mean a shade or variety of any color that is known now.

Answer 1

Well, yes and no.  Our eyes evolved to be able to see light in the 400 nm - 700 nm wavelength, which is where the Sun puts out the most energy.  That's indigo around 400 nm, and red around 700 nm.  We've seen every wavelength in that range, so there's no new colors in there.  But as our Sun gets older (in the next few billion years) the energy output will shift towards the red, and maybe the peak will be around 800 or 900 nm - and our eyes may evolve to take advantage of that range instead, giving us all new colors to see.  But no, there aren't any new colors you'll ever be able to see.  Sorry.

Answer 2

Eri's answer is a good one from a scientific standpoint, and she is correct.

Another thing to consider is that color is given a special status in philosophy called "qualia," along with other states of perception like sounds and smells.

There's no telling whether my perception of "red" is completely different from your perception of "red," for instance. Maybe my "red" is your "blue," but since we learned to call whatever color that is "red" we can agree on the name "red," even if we're actually perceiving different colors.

For instance, maybe if my mind were put in your body I might think that the grass is blue and the sky is yellow, when really you've perceived things that way the whole time and our color schemes just don't match up in our perceptions.

Following that reasoning, it could be possible that my perceptions of colors are outrageously different from your perceptions of colors.

However, as Eri pointed out, we have all seen as many colors as is physically possible if we consider only ourselves -- unless something can happen in a brain that causes our qualia to be experienced differently, in which it may be possible to experience "new colors."

Qualia are hotly debated in philosophy, just wiki the term and you'll see what I mean!