The Contents of Experience: Essays on Perception

The nature of perception has long been a central question in philosophy. It is of crucial importance not just in the philosophy of mind, but also in epistemology, metaphysics, aesthetics, and the philosophy of science. The essays in this volume not only offer fresh answers to some of the traditional problems of perception, but also examine the subject in light of recent research on mental content. J. J. Valberg and Paul Snowdon discuss the traditional problem of the ‘object’ of perception. Christopher Peacocke and Tim Crane offer accounts of the ‘nonconceptual’ content of perception. Thomas Baldwin and E. J. Lowe explain the place of sensation in perception, while Michael Tye argues that there are no visual sensations or ‘qualia’. Michael Martin examines the relationships between sight and touch, and Brian O’Shaughnessy examines those between perception and action. A substantial introduction locates the essays within the recent history of the subject, and demonstrates the links between them. The Contents of Experience brings together some of the leading philosophers working in the field, and offers a major new statement on a problem central to current philosophical thinking.

• First significant collection of new essays on perception to have appeared for twenty years (only other recent work is anthology of previously published work) • Essays by many of the leading figures in the field • Offers new answers to old questions, taking into account current research in the area

Preface; 1. Introduction Tim Crane; 2. The puzzle of experience J. J. Valberg; 3. How to interpret ‘direct perception’ Paul Snowdon; 4. Experience and its objects E. J. Lowe; 5. Scenarios, concepts and perception Christopher Peacocke; 6. The nonconceptual content of experience Tim Crane; 7. Visual qualia and visual content Michael Tye; 8. The projective theory of sensory content Thomas Baldwin; 9. Sight and touch Michael Martin; 10. The diversity and unity of action and perception Brian O’Shaughnessy; References; Index.