Representationalism and the scene-immediacy of visual experience: A journey to the fringe and back

Philosophical Psychology 25 (4):595 - 615 (2012)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Both visual experience and conscious thought represent external objects, but in visual experience these objects seem present before the mind and available for direct access in a way that they don?t in conscious thought. In this paper, I introduce a couple of challenges that this ?Scene-Immediacy? of visual experience raises for traditional versions of Representationalism. I then identify a resource to which Representationalists can appeal in addressing these challenges: the low-detail fringe of visual experience. I argue that low-detail contents within visual experience provide the mind with a rich access to additional high-detail information, an access that is not found in conscious thought. This access, in turn, speaks to the challenges raised by the Scene-Immediacy of visual experience. Robert Schroer is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota at Duluth

Author's Profile

Robert Schroer
University of Minnesota, Duluth

Analytics

Added to PP
2011-03-31

Downloads
671 (#20,708)

6 months
81 (#46,232)

Historical graph of downloads since first upload
This graph includes both downloads from PhilArchive and clicks on external links on PhilPapers.
How can I increase my downloads?