Molyneux's Problem- Sight Against Touch

http://www.amazon.com/Senses-Human-Biology-Poster-Series/dp/B000PULG9E

Late 16 century scientist William Molyneux proposed a philosophical problem (Per the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) he asked, "Suppose a Man born blind, and now adult, and taught by his touch to distinguish between a Cube, and a Sphere of the same metal, and close to the same bigness, so as to tell, when he felt one and the other; which is the Cube, which is the Sphere. Suppose then the Cube and Sphere where placed on a Table, and the Blind Man to be made to see. The Man would then only use his sight, before he touch'd them, would he be able now to distinguish, and tell, which is the Globe, which the Cube?" (Some words where changed to make it easier to understand the question since it was written in old world English)

Here is the original with out changes:

Suppose a Man born blind, and now adult, and taught by his touch to distinguish between a Cube, and a Sphere of the same metal, and nighly of the same bigness, so as to tell, when he felt one and t'other; which is the Cube, which the Sphere. Suppose then the Cube and Sphere placed on a Table, and the Blind Man to be made to see. Qaere, Whether by his sight, before he touch'd them, he could now distinguish, and tell, which is the Globe, which the Cube.

From the second edition of John Locke's Essay from 1694, which brought Myloneux's problem to a wider audience at the time.

http://www.amazon.com/Senses-Human-Biology-Poster-Series/dp/B000PULG9E

Interesting question, could a blind man if science had the technology to make him see, would be able to interpret a physical objects without touching them, as one being round and the other square just be sight? . The sense of touch is a amazing mechanism by itself but together with the other senses we received other information that may be valuable to creating in what you may call a data file in our brain of a object. We may argue that to understand roundness you must feel and touch it. So without one of these senses does it mean that sight and touch depend on each other or are just independent from another. Modern experiments have been tested on children with treatable causes which to advantage of theme getting their vision back and test what Molyneux's proposed. The outcome at first showed the children had low success rate at first distinguishing the cube from the ball but as they became more attuned with their new sense and their environment their ability to understand visually observing objects and knowing what they are improved.

http://www.amazon.com/Senses-Human-Biology-Poster-Series/dp/B000PULG9E

Here is a video from a presentation on addresing the Molyneux Problem at MIT by Professor Richard Held: