Representationalism and Molyneux's question: An intermodal approach based on quality space theory
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Representationalism is the view that perceptual experience essentially involves being in a representational state and that the phenomenal character of perceptual experience is exhausted in its representational content. In this paper, I argue that the representationalist’s Simple Answer to Molyneux’s question does not work because it has phenomenologically implausible consequences. Since intramodal representationalism has serious shortcomings, I suggest that the representationalist should opt for an intermodal approach. Moreover, I argue that intermodal representationalism is best supported by quality space theory so as to make sense of the claim that visual and tactile experiences of an object of a given shape differ in their representational content. On this view, the representationalist’s response to Molyneux’s question ultimately depends on whether the cross-modal calibration of quality spaces is innate or learned.
Source: Philosophy and the Mind Sciences
Author: Daniel Mario Weger
Institution: Goethe University Frankfurt
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4404962221