The Philosophy and Science of Perception

Our senses tell us about our immediate environment, but what exactly do they tell us? Our color experiences tell us that the things around us have color properties, but what in the world are color properties? Do we visually represent absolute size as well as relative size? When we see an apple, do we literally see it as an apple, or do we infer that it's an apple based on its color and shape? Can what we expect to see affect what we actually see? In this seminar we will bring both philosophical and empirical perspectives to bear on these and other issues related to figuring out just how our perceptual experiences represent the world as being. Prerequisite: PHIL 80 or permission of the instructor.