Many prominent philosophers, scientists, and artists have argued that our experience of color is an illusion, that colors as we see them do not really exist. This course traces the history and philosophical significance of this idea, from its origin in a series of surprising discoveries about light and vision, through to its contemporary manifestations in philosophy, psychology, linguistics, literature, and art. Topics to be discussed will include whether we can ever really know what someone else’s experience is like, how language relates to perception and thought, what art can tell us about experience, and whether perception tells us how the world really is. Here is the order in which we will discuss these topics: Part One: Color blindness: how do things look to the color blind? Part Two: Inverted spectrum: can we ever really know what colors look like to others? Part Three: Linguistic determinism: what is the relationship between language and color perception and thought? Part Four: The artist’s eye: what do the colors of artworks tell us about how artists experience the world? Part Five: The illusion of color: do colors really exist?