Philosophy of Perception

Sets out the major theories of perception together with their motivations and attendant problems. While providing historical background to debates in the field, this title focuses on presentations and defenses of the different theories, and looks beyond visual perception to take into account the role of other senses.

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The philosophy of perception investigates the nature of our sensory experiences and their relation to reality. Raising questions about the conscious character of perceptual experiences, how they enable us to acquire knowledge of the world in which we live, and what exactly it is we are aware of when we hallucinate or dream, the philosophy of perception is a growing area of interest in metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind.

William Fish’s Philosophy of Perception introduces the subject thematically, setting out the major theories of perception together with their motivations and attendant problems. While providing historical background to debates in the field, this comprehensive overview focuses on recent presentations and defenses of the different theories, and looks beyond visual perception to take into account the role of other senses.

Topics covered include:






the phenomenal principle



perception and hallucination



perception and content



sense-data, adverbialism and idealism



disjunctivism and relationalism



intentionalism and combined theories



the nature of content



veridicality



perception and empirical science



non-visual perception.

With summaries and suggested further reading at the end of each chapter, this is an ideal introduction to the philosophy of perception.