My science teacher says in a sense the blind can see. You know they aren't walking into walls. It seems they know there's a wall somewhere or some thing is in their way.
-
A blind person that navigates well in a familiar place has a more detailed mental map than most sighted people. They also have their white canes and some other "tricks" to quickly build their mental maps of unfamiliar places. Despite what some people say, they don't really have ESP or radar. In a limited sense, they can hear sharp sounds echoing off of large, flat surfaces like walls, but it is useless for telling shapes of objects like furniture.
In a different sense, many blind people do "see" something (especially if they lost their sight), because the eyes are only the transmitters and most of the work of seeing is in the receptors and optical cortex of the brain. Even without eyes, the brain can still receive false signals of colors and patterns. Without the optical cortex and the receptors, even perfect eyes would be useless.
Many people are called "legally blind" which means their vision is so poor that they can not safely do things that require adequate vision, like driving a car on a busy freeway. They can see, but just not very well.
In a different sense, many blind people do "see" something (especially if they lost their sight), because the eyes are only the transmitters and most of the work of seeing is in the receptors and optical cortex of the brain. Even without eyes, the brain can still receive false signals of colors and patterns. Without the optical cortex and the receptors, even perfect eyes would be useless.
Many people are called "legally blind" which means their vision is so poor that they can not safely do things that require adequate vision, like driving a car on a busy freeway. They can see, but just not very well.