Overview

The philosophy of perception is a microcosm of the metaphysics of mind. Its central problems - what is perception? What is the nature of perceptual consciousness? How can one fit an account of perceptual experience into a broader account of the nature of the mind and the world? - are at the heart of metaphysics. Rather than try to cover all of the many strands in the philosophy of perception, this book focuses on a particular orthodoxy about the nature of visual perception. The central problem for visual science has been to explain how the brain bridges the gap between what is given to the visual system and what is actually experienced by the perceiver. The orthodox view of perception is that it is a process whereby the brain, or a dedicated subsystem of the brain, builds up representations of relevant figures of the environment on the basis of information encoded by the sensory receptors. Most adherents of the orthodox view also believe that for every conscious perceptual state of the subject, there is a particular set of neurons whose activities are sufficient for the occurrence of that state. Some of the essays in this book defend the orthodoxy; most criticize it; and some propose alternatives to it.

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9780262140782

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Reviews

This is a wonderfully interdisciplinary volume that addresses deep theoretical and philosophical questions about the nature of vision and visual experience. The diverse papers raise core issues not only about visual perception but as well about the nature of cognition and mind. Concerns about the objects, content, and ontology of vision and visual experience provide a lens for viewing those concerns about the mind in general. This volume will provide a valuable resource for researchers or students wishing to explore the nature of mind through the vehicle of visual perception. --Robert van Gulick, Professor of Philosophy and Director, Cognitive Science Program, Syracuse UniversityPlease note: Endorser gives permission to excerpt from quote. Timely, well-balanced between history and contemporary philosophical work, and with a good dose of relevant science, this anthology shows how philosophical and scientific thinking can - and indeed must - be intermixed for a fuller understanding of the nature of visual perception. A superb collection. --Guven Guzeldere, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Psychological & BrainSciences, Duke UniversityPlease note: There should be umlauts over the u's in the author's first and last names. Thanks.

Author Information

Alva Noe is Associate Professor of Philosophy at University of California, Berkeley. He is the editor of Vision and Mind (MIT Press, 2002).

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