Philosophy of Perception ─ A Contemporary Introduction

The philosophy of perception investigates the nature of our sensory experiences and their relation to reality. Raising questions about the conscious character of perceptual experiences, how they enable us to acquire knowledge of the world in which we live, and what exactly it is we are aware of when we hallucinate or dream, the philosophy of perception is a growing area of interest in metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind.
William Fish’s Philosophy of Perception introduces the subject thematically, setting out the major theories of perception together with their motivations and attendant problems. While providing historical background to debates in the field, this comprehensive overview focuses on recent presentations and defenses of the different theories, and looks beyond visual perception to take into account the role of other senses.

Topics covered include:


the phenomenal principle


perception and hallucination


perception and content


sense-data, adverbialism and idealism


disjunctivism and relationalism


intentionalism and combined theories


the nature of content


veridicality


perception and empirical science


non-visual perception.


With summaries and suggested further reading at the end of each chapter, this is an ideal introduction to the philosophy of perception.

William Fish is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Massey University, New Zealand.

1. Introduction: Three Key Principles
2. Sense Datum Theories
3. Adverbial Theories
4. Belief Acquisition Theories
5. Intentional Theories
6. Disjunctive Theories
7. Perception and Causation
8. Perception and the Sciences of the Mind
9. Perception and Other Sense Modalities