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The Eye and the Mind

Reflections on Perception and the Problem of Knowledge

  • Book
  • © 1993

Overview

Authors:
  1. Charles Landesman

    1. Hunter College and the Graduate School of the City University of New York, USA

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Part of the book series: Philosophical Studies Series (PSSP, volume 58)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
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  2. Understanding Vision: Common Sense Vs. Science

    • Charles Landesman
    Pages 1-15

  3. The Subjective Turn and the Problem of Transparency

    • Charles Landesman
    Pages 17-31

  4. Cognitive Theories of Sensation and Perception: A Critique

    • Charles Landesman
    Pages 33-48

  5. A Representative Theory of Sensation

    • Charles Landesman
    Pages 49-61

  6. Color Subjectively Considered

    • Charles Landesman
    Pages 63-81

  7. Color Objectively Considered

    • Charles Landesman
    Pages 83-107

  8. Objections to Color Skepticism

    • Charles Landesman
    Pages 109-125

  9. Knowledge and Perception

    • Charles Landesman
    Pages 127-154

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 155-161
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Keywords

About this book

This book is a discussion of some of the major philosophical problems centering around the topic of sense perception and the foundations of human knowledge. It begins with a characterization of our common sense understanding of the role of the senses in the acquisition of belief, and it argues that scientific accounts of the processes of perception undermine salient parts of this understanding. The naive point of view of direct realism cannot be sustained in the light of a scientifically instructed understanding of perception. This critique of direct realism points to the correctness of the representative theory of perception characteristic of such early modem philosophers as Descartes and Locke, and it also endorses the subjective tum that they defended. It argues that these positions do not require introducing sense data into the picture, and thus it avoids the intractable problems that the sense datum philosophy introduces. In addition, several versions of cognitive accounts of sense perception are criticized with the result that it is unnecessary to characterize sensory processes in intentional terms. The book then turns to a leading question introduced into modem philosophy by Descartes and Locke, the question of the accuracy of the information delivered by the senses to our faculty of belief. In particular, how accurate are our representations of the secondary qualities? The case of color is considered in detail.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Hunter College and the Graduate School of the City University of New York, USA

    Charles Landesman

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Eye and the Mind

  • Book Subtitle: Reflections on Perception and the Problem of Knowledge

  • Authors: Charles Landesman

  • Series Title: Philosophical Studies Series

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3317-5

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1993

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7923-2586-4Published: 31 October 1993

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-90-481-4343-6Published: 28 October 2010

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-017-3317-5Published: 29 June 2013

  • Series ISSN: 0921-8599

  • Series E-ISSN: 2542-8349

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 162

  • Topics: Epistemology, Metaphysics

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