Can we really see anything?

We only see the light reflected off of an object. Google the invisibility cloak that scientists have comeup with. It works by refracting and redirecting light .

If the object is luminous, we see the light it creates. For other objects, we see the light they reflect. The end result is the same. We see the light coming from the object, whether the object creates it's own light or just reflects light that strikes it.

The deeper issue is that we "see" what our brain creates from the signals it receives from our eyes. This is more philosophy than science.

well i would say that if you can see the light thats reflected from the object, you are seeing the object.

But then you can look at it this way: do bats see? They use echo-location to sense where things are, but most would not consider that seeing.

Humans can see where things are and what color they are by the light reflecting off of them, and we physically use our eyes to look at that light, so I think that does constitute seeing.

If its dark, the object is still there, but you cant see it, so we see the reflected light.

Absolutely - any other answer is just too damn pedantic and philosophical.