It is the year 1666. The English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton is sitting in his study. The sun is shining through the curtains of the dimly lit room. The light, however, is not only shining through the curtains but also through a glass prism Newton is holding in his left hand. The light passing through the prism radiates a multitude of colours. Every colour that the human eye can see. Newton defines that this visible spectrum consists of seven main colours. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.
Roughly 400 years later we are left with only six. Indigo has left the spectrum. Today science decided that Indigo is too hard to distinguish from its neighbouring colours Blue and Violet.
The question remains: Why could Isaac Newton distinguish it?
There are multiple theories concerning the reasons, why Newton included Indigo in the colour spectrum. Scottish physician and microbiologist Alexander Fleming blamed indigo’s existence on Newton being an occultist. Meaning that Newton believed the light spectrum has to consist of exactly 7 colours, since the number seven has mythological importance. Another theory erases the prism in Newton’s hand and adds a painting to his room. The american association of physics teachers hypothesizes that Newton saw seven distinct colours in this painting and assumed that he could also see seven distinct colours in his spectral projections.
However, I want to focus on the conclusion of English expert in physical optics R.A. Houston. He was certain that Newton’s Vision was slightly abnormal. In opposition to Newton, who saw Indigo inclined to Violet and Blue, Houston saw it inclined to black.
So Indigo remains a subject of subjectiveness. We just can’t be sure that Indigo is the same for everyone. All humans have a somewhat unique vision. Some illnesses like colourblindness even alter our vision completely. Some humans can distinguish the slightest change in colouration, others have difficulties. Animals see the world in a multitude of ways. We have to ask ourselves was INDIGO ever INDIGO? That however will take it too far.
I rather want to focus on Newton’s vision seemingly enhanced in detecting Indigo. Is it possible to learn to differentiate colours even if they seem to be the same? If the world was only shades of INDIGO, could we adapt to this decline of colour variety? Would we adapt in one life, in multiple generations, in ages or aeons? Would we be able to rediscover Newton’s Lost Indigo? Live in a world of shades of Indigo?
