Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T01:37:20.595Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Revelation and Normativity in Visual Experience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Zoltán Jakab
Zoltán Jakab*
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science Budapest University of Technology and Economics Budapest Hungary
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Suppose Figure 1 depicts Stimuli from an experiment on shape discrimination, where the subjects are asked to point out the best circle.

Now suppose that Figure 2 shows Stimuli from a color-discrimination experiment where the subjects’ task is to pick the purest green — green that is neither yellowish nor bluish — in other words, is unique green.

In both these tasks there are individual differences between different subjects. However, notice that in the shape-discrimination case there is exactly one correct response: the best circle is the fourth from the left. In the color case it is not obvious, to put it mildly, that there is exactly one correct response. One color-normal subject may find that the purest green is the third from the left, whereas another may choose the fifth from the left, and still another may pick the fourth. Who is right, and who is wrong? More importantly, why is there this difference between shape perception and color perception?

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Philosophy , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , March 2006 , pp. 25 - 56
Copyright
Copyright ©The Authors 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akins, K. and M., Hahn. 2000. ‘The Peculiarity of Color.’ In Color Perception: Phüosophical, Psychologienl, Artistic and Computational Perspectives. Davis, S. ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 215-47.Google Scholar
Aristoteles, . 1984. The Complete works of Aristotle: The Revised Oxford Translation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Biederman, I. 1987. ‘Recognition by Components: A Theory of Human Image Understanding.’ Psychological Review 94 115-47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Biederman, I. 1990. ‘Higher-Level Vision.’ In An Invitation to Cognitive Science, Vol. 2: Visual Cognition and Action. Osherson, D.N. Kosslyn, S.M. and Hollerbach, J.M. eds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 41–72.Google Scholar
Boynton, R. 1997. Insights Gained from Naming the OSA Colours. In Color Categories in Thought and Language, Hardin, C.L. and Maffi, L. eds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Bradley, P. and M., Tye. 2001. ‘Of Colors, Kestrels, Caterpillars and Leaves.’ Journal of Philosophy 98 469-87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brainard, D.H. and B.A., Wandeil. 1992. ‘Asymmetrie Color Matching: How Color Appearance Depends on the Illuminant.’ Journal of the Optical Society of America 9.9 1433-48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bülthoff, H.H. and S., Edelman. 1992. ‘Psychophysical Support for a Two-Dimensional View Interpolation Theory of Object Recognition.’ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 92 60-4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Byrne, A. and D.R., Hubert 1997. Readings an Color, Vol. 1: The Phüosophy of Color, and Vol. 2: The Science of Color. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Byrne, A. and D.R., Hubert 1997a. ‘Introduction.’ In Byrne, and Hubert, 1997, Vol. I, xi–xxviii.Google Scholar
Byrne, A. and D.R., Hubert 1997b. ‘Colors and Reflectances.’ In Byrne, and Hubert, 1997, 263-88.Google Scholar
Byrne, A. and D.R., Hubert 2003. ‘Color Realism and Color Science.’ Behavioral and Brain Sciences 26.1 3–64CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Campbell, J. 1997. ‘A Simple View of Color.’ In Byrne, and Hubert, 1997.Google Scholar
Chichilnisky, E.J. and B.A., Wandeil. 1995. ‘Photoreceptor Sensitivity Changes Explain Color Appearance Shifts Induced by Large Uniform Backgrounds in Dichoptic Matching.’ Vision Research 35.2 239-54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davies, M. 1997. ‘Externalism and Experience.’ In The Nature of Consdousness, Block, N. Flanagan, O. and Güzeldere, G. eds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Dretske, F. 1988. Explaining Behavior: Reasons in a World of Causes. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Dretske, F. 1995. Naturalizing the Mind. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Edelman, S. and H.H., Bülthoff. 1992. ‘Orientation Dependence in the Recognition of Familiar and Novel Views of 3D Objects.’ Vision Research 32 2385–2400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, G. 2002. ‘Molyneux's question.’ In Vision and Mind Noe, A. and Thompson, E. eds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Fairchild, M.D. 1998. Color Appearance Models. New York: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
Finlayson, G.D. and P.M., Morovic. 2000a. ‘Crossover Wavelengths of Natural Metamers.’ Color Image Science 2000 (April 10-12). Color Imaging Institute, University of Derby.Google Scholar
Finlayson, G.D. and P.M., Morovic. 2000b. ‘Metamer Crossovers of Infinite Metamer Sets.’ In Proceedings Volume ofthe 8th Color Imaging Conference: Color Science and Engineering Systems, Technologies, Applications. Scottsdale, AZ (Nov. 7-10).Google Scholar
Fodor, J.A. 1987. ‘Why There Still has to be a Language of Thought.’ In Fodor, J.A.: Psychosemantics. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 135-54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fodor, J.A. 1998. Concepts. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gage, J. 1993. Colour and Culture: Practice and Meaningfrom Antiquity to Abstraction. London: Thames and.Hudson.Google Scholar
Hardin, C.L. 1988. ColorforPhilosophers: UnweavingtheRainbow. Indianapolis, MA: Hackett.Google Scholar
Hardin, C.L. 1997. ‘Reinverting the Spectrum.’ In Byrne and Hubert, 1997, 289–301.Google Scholar
Haugeland, J. 1981. ‘Semantic Engines: An Introduction to Mind Design.’ In Mind Design, Haugeland, John ed. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1–34.Google Scholar
Hilbert, D.R. 1987. Color and Color Perception: A Study in Anthropocentric Realism. Stanford: Center for.the Study of Language and Information.Google Scholar
Hilbert, D.R. and M.E., Kalderon. 2000. ‘Color and the Inverted Spectrum.’ In Color Perception: Philosophical, Psychological, Artistic and Computational Perspectives. Davis, S. ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 187–214.Google Scholar
Hoyrup, J. 1998. ‘Pythagorean “Rule” and “Theorem” — Mirror of the Relation between Babylonian and Greek Mathematics.’ Roskilde University Centre, Section for Philosophy and Science Studies, #3,1-15.Google Scholar
Hoyrup, J. 1998. 2002. ‘Tertium non Datur, or on Reasoning Styles in Early Mathematics.’ Roskilde University, Section for Philosophy and Science Studies, #1,1-28.Google Scholar
Jackson, F. 2000. ‘Philosophizing about Color.’ In Color Perception: Philosophical, Psychcal, Artistic and Computational Perspectives. Davis, S. ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 152-62.Google Scholar
Jackson, F. and R., Pargetter. 1997. ‘An Objectivisf s Guide to Subjectivism About Color.’ In Byrne and Hubert, 1997.Google Scholar
Jakab, Z. 2000. ‘Ineffability of Qualia: A Straightforward Naturalistic Explanation.’ Consciousness and Cognition 9.3 329-51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jakab, Z. 2001. ‘Color Experience: Empirical Evidence Against Representational Externalism.’ Dissertation, Carleton University, Ottawa. Available at: http:’,’,www.carleton.ca’,iis’,TechReports.Google Scholar
Jakab, Z. 2003. ‘Phenomenal Projection.’ Psyche 9.4. Available at http: ‘, ‘,psy ehe.es.monash.edu.au ‘,v9 ‘,psy che-9-04-jakab.html.Google Scholar
Jakab, Z. 2005. ‘Opponent Processing, Linear Models and the Veridicality of Color Perception.’ In Cognition and the Brain: The Philosophy and Neuroscience Movement, Akins, K. and Brook, A. eds. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press 336-78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jakab, Z. and B.P., McLaughlin. 2003. ‘Why Not Color Physicalism Without Color Absolutism?' (Commentary on A. Byrne and D. Hubert: Color Realism and Color Science). Behavioral and Brain Sciences 26.1 34-5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnston, M. 1997. ‘How to Speak of the Colors.’ In Byrne and Hubert, 1997.Google Scholar
Johnston, M. 1998. ‘Are Manifest Qualities Response-Dependent?’ The Monist 81 3–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kobatake, E. G., Wang and K., Tanaka. 1998. ‘Effects of Shape-Discrimination Training on the Selectivity of Inferotemporal Cells in Adult Monkeys.’ Journal of Neurophysiology 80 324-30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuehni, R.G. 2001. ‘Determination of Unique Hues Using Munsell Color Chips.’ Color Research and Application 26.1 61-6.3.0.CO;2-P>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kulvicki, J. 2003. ‘Hue Magnitudes and Revelation.’ Behavioral and Brain Sciences 26.1 36-7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kulvicki, J. 2005. ‘Perceptual Content, Information, and the Primary’, Secondary Quality Distinetion.’ Philosophical Studies 122.2 103-31.Google Scholar
Logothetis, N.K. and J., Pauls. 1995. ‘View-Centered Object Representations in the Primate.’ Cerebral Cortex 3 270-88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lutze, M. J., Cox V.C., Smith and J., Pokorny 1990. ‘Genetic Studies of Variation in Rayleigh and Photometric Matches in Normal Trichromats.’ Vision Research 30.1 149-62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maloney, L.T. 1986. ‘Evaluation of Linear Models of Surface Spectral Reflectance with Small Numbers of Parameters.’ Journal of the Optical Society of America 3.10 1673–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maloney, L.T. 1999. ‘Physics-Based Models of Surface Color Perception.’ In Color Vision: From Genes to Perception, Gegenfurtner, K.R. and Sharpe, L.T. eds. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 387–418.Google Scholar
Maloney, L.T. 2003. ‘Surface Colour Perception and Environmental Constraints.’ In Colour Perception: Mind and the Physical World, Mausfeld, R. and Heyer, D. eds. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 279–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maloney, L.T. and B.A., Wandell. 1986. ‘Color Constancy: A Method for Recovering Surf ace Reflectance.’ Journal ofthe Optical Society of America 3.1 29–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marr, D. 1982. Vision: A Computational Investigation into the Human Representation and Processing of Visual Information. New York: Freeman.Google Scholar
Marr, D. and H.K., Nishihara. 1978. ‘Representation and Recognition of the Spatial Organization of Three-Dimensional Structure.’ Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 200 269-94.Google Scholar
Matthen, M. 1988. ‘Biological Functions and Perceptual Content.’ Journal of Philosophy 85.1 5–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthen, M. 1999. ‘The Disunity of Color.’ Philosophical Review 108 47–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthen, M. 2001. ‘Our Knowledge of Colour.’ In Naturalism, Evolution, and Intentionality, Macintosh, J. ed. Canadian Journal of Philosophy supplementary volume 27 215-46.Google Scholar
Matthen, M. and E., Levy. 1984. ‘Teleology, Error, and the Human Immune System.’ Journal Of Philosophy 81.7 351-72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGinn, C. 1996. ‘Another Look at Color.’ Journal of Philosophy 93 537-53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLaughin, B.P. 2003a. ‘The Place of Color in Nature.’ In Colour Perception: Mind and the Physical World, Mausfeld, R. and Heyer, D. eds. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 475–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLaughin, B.P. 2003b. ‘Color, Consciousness, and Color Consciousness.’ In Consciousness: New Philosophical Perspectives, Smith, Q. and Jokic, A. eds. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 97–152.Google Scholar
Miyashita, Y. 1988. ‘Neural Correlate of Visual Associative Long-Term Memory in the Primate Temporal Cortex.’ Nature 335 817-20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mollon, J.D. 2003. ‘Thomas Young and the Trichromatic Theory of Color Vision.’ In Normal and Defective Colour Vision, Mollon, J.D. Pokorny, J. and Knoblauch, K. eds. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neitz, M. Neitz, J. 1998. ‘Molecular Genetics and the Biological basis of Color Vision.’ In Color Vision: Perspectives from different disciplines, Backhaus, W.G. Kriegl, R. and Werner, J.S. eds. Berlin: DeGreuter.Google Scholar
Palmer, S.E. 1999. Vision Science — Photons to Phenomenology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Palmer, S.E. E., Rosch and P., Chase. 1981. ‘Canonical Perspective and the Perception of Objects.’ In Attention and Performance, Long, J. and Baddeley, A. eds. New York: Erlbaum, 131-51.Google Scholar
Peacocke, C. 1997. ‘Colour Concepts and Colour Experience.’ In Byrne and Hubert, 1997, 51–65.Google Scholar
Raffman, D. 1995. ‘On the Persistence of Phenomenology.’ In Conscious Experience, Metzinger, T. ed. Schöningh: Imprint Academic, 293–308.Google Scholar
Russell, B. 1912. The Problems of Philosophy, London, UK: Oxford University Press. Schyns, P.G. 1997. ‘Categories and Percepts: A Bi-Directional Framework for Categorization.’ Trends in Cognitive Sciences 1183-189.Google Scholar
Schyns, P.G. R.L., Goldstone and J.-P., Thibaut. 1998. ‘The Development of Features in Object Concepts.’ Behavioural and Brain Sciences 211-54.Google Scholar
Senden, M. 1960. Space and Sight: The Perception of Space and Shape in the Congenitally Blind Before and After Operation. London, UK: Methuen.Google Scholar
Shepard, R.N. 1997. ‘The Perceptual Organization of Colors: An Adaptation to Regularities of the Terrestrial World?’ In Byrne and Hubert, 1997, 311-56.Google Scholar
Shepherd, A.J. 1999. ‘Remodelling Color Contrast: Implications for Visual Processing and Color Representation.’ Vision Research 39 1329–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shoemaker, S. 1994. ‘Phenomenal Character.’ Noûs 28.1 21–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, M. 1993. ‘Color, Transparency, Mind-Independence.’ In Reality, Representation and Projection, Haidane, J. and Wright, C. eds. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Strawson, G. 1989. ‘“Red” and Red.’ Synthese 78 198–232.Google Scholar
Stroud, B. 2000. The Questfor Reality: Subjectivism and the Metaphysics of Color. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Tarr, M.J. and S., Pinker. 1989. ‘Mental Rotation and Orientation-Dependence in Shape Recognition.’ Cognitive Psychology 21 233-82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thompson, E. 1995. Colour Vision: A Study in Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Perception. London and New York: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, E. 2000. ‘Comparative Color Vision: Quality Space and Visual Ecology.’ In Color Perception: Philosophical, Psychological, Artistic and Computational Perspectives. Davis, S. ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 163-86.Google Scholar
Thompson, E. A.G., Palacios and F.J., Varela. 1992. ‘Ways of Coloring: Comparative Color Vision as a Case Study for Cognitive Science.’ Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 1–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tye, M. 1995. Ten Problems of Consdousness. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tye, M. 2000. Consdousness, Color, and Content. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yablo, S. 1995. ‘Singling Out Properties.’ In Philosophical Perspectives Vol. 9. Tomberlin, J. ed. Atascadero, CA: Ridgeview.Google Scholar
Young, T. 1804. Reply to the Animadversions of the Edinburgh Reviewers on sowie Papers Published in the Philosophical Transactions. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Wade, N.J. 1998. A Natural History of Vision. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Wallis, G. and H., Bülthoff. 1999. ‘Learning to Recognize Objects.’ Trends in Cognitive Sciences 3.1 22–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wandeil, B.A. 1995. Foundations of Vision. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.Google Scholar
Zemplén, G. 2004. The History of Light, Color, and Vision: Introduction, Texts, Problems. Bern Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science, forthcoming.Google Scholar