This refers to a thought experiment regarding the visual ability of a person, who has just recovered from blindness, to distinguish between objects of various shapes and sizes. It tries to answer the question of whether a blind man who has learned to identify objects only by touching them can, once he obtains the ability to see, identify the same objects by just seeing them (that is, without the help of touch). It is named after Irish scientist William Molyneux who wrote the question to philosopher John Locke in the 17th century. The problem helps to shed light on the issue of how blind people picture reality, and how it is different from those with vision.
