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Single Idea 15816

[filed under theme 12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 8. Adverbial Theory ]

Full Idea

The sentences 'I feel depressed' and 'I feel exuberant' are related in the way in which 'He runs slowly' and 'He runs swiftly' are related, and not in the way in which 'He has a red book' and 'He has a brown book' are related.

Gist of Idea

'I feel depressed' is more like 'he runs slowly' than like 'he has a red book'

Source

Roderick Chisholm (Person and Object [1976], 1.8)

Book Ref

Chisholm,Roderick: 'Person and Object' [Open Court 1976], p.49


A Reaction

Ducasse 1942 and Chisholm 1957 seem to be the sources of the adverbial theory. I gather Chisholm gave it up late in his career. The adverbial theory seems sort of right, but it doesn't illuminate what is happening.


The 12 ideas with the same theme [qualities are not objects but ways in which a perception occurs]:

'I feel depressed' is more like 'he runs slowly' than like 'he has a red book' [Chisholm]
If we can say a man senses 'redly', why not also 'rectangularly'? [Chisholm]
So called 'sense-data' are best seen as 'modifications' of the person experiencing them [Chisholm]
The adverbial account of sensation says not 'see a red image' but be 'appeared to redly' [Shoemaker]
The adverbial account will still be needed when a mind apprehends its sense-data [Bonjour]
'Sense redly' sounds peculiar, but 'senses redly-squarely tablely' sounds far worse [Robinson,H]
Adverbialism sees the contents of sense-experience as modes, not objects [Robinson,H]
If there are only 'modes' of sensing, then an object can no more be red or square than it can be proud or lazy. [Robinson,H]
The adverbial theory of perceptions says it is the experiences which have properties, not the objects [Crane]
How could one paraphrase very complex sense-data reports adverbially? [Lowe]
Mountains are adverbial modifications of the earth, but still have object-characteristics [Maund]
Adverbialism tries to avoid sense-data and preserve direct realism [Maund]