Cognitive Analysis and Scientific Verification Pathways of the Inverted Spectrum Paradox
Hongsheng Liu
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) September 7, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22640065 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Qualitative |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that purely hypothetical spectrum inversion with fully consistent physical and behavioral manifestations is untestable in principle, while inversion from physiological or neural abnormalities can be accurately identified via scientific experiments. Proposes that this distinction clarifies the boundary between subjective experience and objective phenomena and the logical relationship between conceivability, possibility, and verifiability. |
Abstract
The inverted spectrum paradox is a classic thought experiment in philosophy of mind and cognitive science, which focuses on the subjective qualitative difference of color perception without explicit behavioral abnormalities. This paper systematically sorts out the connotation, logical architecture and philosophical controversy of the inverted spectrum hypothesis, distinguishes the pure hypothetical subjective qualia inversion from the physically abnormal color vision inversion in reality, and analyzes the essential differences between the two from the perspectives of philosophy of mind, visual physiology and experimental psychology. Combined with modern color vision detection technologies such as pseudoisochromatic plate test, psychophysical color matching experiment and fMRI neural imaging, this paper discusses the feasible verification pathways of spectrum inversion. The study finds that the purely theoretical inverted spectrum with completely consistent physical and behavioral manifestations is untestable in principle, while the spectrum inversion caused by physiological and neural abnormalities can be accurately identified through scientific experiments. This research further clarifies the boundary between subjective consciousness experience and objective physical phenomena, and reveals the logical relationship between conceivability, possibility and verifiability in cognitive research.