The Structure of Perceptual Experience

This innovative new collection features six original essays exploring the spatial, temporal, and other structures that shape conscious perception.

• Includes cutting-edge research on an increasingly influential topic in the philosophy of the mind
• Explores structural differences between the senses and between different theories of perceptual experience
• Offers innovative new arguments on the philosophy of perception written by leading scholars in the field

Notes on Contributors vii

Introduction 1
James Stazicker

1 Is the Sense-Data Theory a Representationalist Theory? 7
Fiona Macpherson

2 Naive Realist Perspectives on Seeing Blurrily 31
Craig French

3 Perceptual Guidance 53
Sebastian Watzl

4 The Perception of Activity 79
Thomas Crowther

5 Auditory Appearances 103
Matthew Nudds

6 Space, Time and Molyneux’s Question 125
Louise Richardson

Index 149

James Stazicker is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Reading. Focusing on the philosophy of psychology and philosophy of perception, he is a member of the University of Reading’s interdisciplinary Centre for Cognition Research. To understand perceptual experience, we must understand its structure. Conscious episodes of seeing, hearing, etc. are structured in a variety of ways: spatially, temporally, and by the nature of the different senses. The six concise and accessible essays included in The Structure of Perceptual Experience articulate these various structural features, exploring their consequences for the nature of perceptual experience and the form of cognitive contact with the world it provides. This collection represents the cutting edge of the philosophy of perception and will prove to be a valuable resource for academics, researchers and scholars.