TYING THE KNOT: WHY REPRESENTATIONALISTS SHOULD ENDORSE THE SENSORIMOTOR THEORY OF CONSCIOUS FEEL.

The sensorimotor theory of perception and consciousness is frequently presented as a variety of antirepresentationalist cognitive science, and there is thus a temptation to suppose that those who take representation as bedrock should reject the approach. This paper argues that the sensorimotor appro...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Philosophical Quarterly Vol. 66; no. 263; pp. 280 - 302
Autor principal: SILVERMAN, DAVID
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Apr2016
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:The sensorimotor theory of perception and consciousness is frequently presented as a variety of antirepresentationalist cognitive science, and there is thus a temptation to suppose that those who take representation as bedrock should reject the approach. This paper argues that the sensorimotor approach is compatible with representationalism, and moreover that representationalism about phenomenal qualities, such as that advocated by Tye, would be more complete and less vulnerable to criticism if it incorporated the sensorimotor account of conscious feel. The paper concludes by arguing that the project of naturalizing phenomenal qualities would nonetheless be better served by abandoning 'representation' talk altogether, a move that would require only a small modification of existing representationalist accounts.