Diderot, Denis: Lettre sur les aveugles à l'usage de ceux qui voient

Letter on the pain of blind people for the use of those who can see their pain

“…Ignorance is symbolized here by the supposed inability of the blind to orient themselves in space and cope with obstacles, in accordance with the idea that visual deprivation prevents adaptation 5 and knowledge. 25 Right image: illustration of the Letter on the blind for the use of those who see by Diderot 15 in which he reports his observations and conversations with a man born blind to support his theory that our ideas and knowledge are not inspired by God but derived from our perceptual experiences and shaped by the available senses. The letter also illustrates the Molyneux's problem, a thought exercise from empirical philosophy that addresses the question of how a person blind from birth who regains his sight would recognize objects that were previously identified by other senses such as touch.…”

“…Blindness has always fascinated artists, 23,25,33,34,37,74,75 philosophers 5,13,15 (Fig. 1), and also scientists.…”