Blindethet

Blindethet is a term used primarily in speculative fiction and some discussions of perception to describe a state in which visual information is minimized or rendered inaccessible while other senses adapt to compensate. In this usage, individuals may retain light sensitivity or basic retinal function but lack conscious perceptual experience of shapes, colors, or motion. The concept is often employed to examine how perception shapes knowledge, mobility, and identity when sight is degraded or deprioritized.

Origins and usage: The word blindethet has no single canonical definition and emerges as a neologism in literary and theoretical contexts. It is not an established medical diagnosis; rather, it provides a framework for exploring sensory substitution, neuroethics, and inclusive design. Authors use the term to pose questions about dependence on vision and the potential of non-visual modalities.

Relation to real-world concepts: Blindethet intersects with studies of blindness, low-vision aids, and sensory substitution technologies that translate visual information into auditory or tactile formats. In design and accessibility discourse, analogous ideas emphasize reducing reliance on vision by supporting other senses and ensuring information remains accessible to people with diverse perceptual abilities. The term mainly functions as a rhetorical tool rather than a clinical category.