I hesitate to post here, as it's like trying to argue with someone who, unknown to me, thinks millionaire means someone who is paid at least one million dollars per year (I DID look in several online dictionaries and other resources, but didn't see that definition). Been there (the discussion, not being paid a million dollars in any one year), done that. But here goes...
Interesting point. He'd [a sighted person in a blind civilization] be treated just like someone who claims to have ESP is treated now, i.e., disbelieved, his knowledge thought to come from elsewhere.
Yes, there would be a lot of disbelievers, because as Sagan said, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence," and there hasn't been much evidence for ESP, certainly not enough for the repeatable tests that are part of science.
You seem to be arguing that no "scientist" would ever be convinced that this one person has sight. It could well be an uphill battle, but there certainly are people interested in claims of unusual and unknown but verifiable human abilities. Here's someone who spent much of her life on such claims:
http://www.susanblackmore.co.uk/Chapters/Kurtz.htm
Had she found the equivalent of a man claiming sight in an all-blind civilization, I have no doubt she would have verified the claim.
You're right, not all of them do. But many do. And in any case it is just those people and their evangelizers that I'm talking about.
Can you name one or more public figures who you would call evangelizers? I see kuwisdelu is already asking as well.
I suspect these people (who claim science is capable of discovering all knowledge) are more of a straw man you're arguing against, and are in the minority as kuwisdelu is saying.
Furthermore, it seems you have some different definition(s) of some word(s) than many of us others do, or something similar to that - it looks like people are arguing past one another in this thread. I'm hoping this gets cleared up.
Right, no I agree with this. I guess my point is that his experience of color would nevertheless remain unknowable by others; though you're right -- science could show some of its workings.
The experience of different radio frequencies is (as far as direct experience) unknowable, and weren't known to exist until the last couple of centuries, yet anyone can tune a radio or change channels on a TV. But once again, I might be missing what you're trying to say.