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Full Idea
Q. Could you not perhaps know an object through sight or hearing without knowing that you are seeing or hearing? A. Not at all.
Gist of Idea
We can't know by sight or hearing without realising that we are doing so
Source
Johann Fichte (The Vocation of Man [1800], 2)
Book Ref
Fichte,Johann G.: 'The Vocation of Man', ed/tr. Preuss,Peter [Hackett 1987], p.29
A Reaction
A nice statement of the traditional view which seemed to be demolished by the discovery of blindsight. In the light of modern brain research, the views of the mind found in past philosophers mostly seem very naïve.
| 23240 | We can't know by sight or hearing without realising that we are doing so [Fichte] |
| 7372 | In peripheral vision we see objects without their details, so blindsight is not that special [Dennett] |
| 7373 | Blindsight subjects glean very paltry information [Dennett] |
| 2953 | Fish may operate by blindsight [Lockwood] |
| 2415 | In blindsight both qualia and intentionality are missing [Chalmers] |
| 4918 | In blindsight V1 (normal vision) is inactive, but V5 (movement) lights up [Carter,R] |
| 6646 | The brain may have two systems for vision, with only the older one intact in blindsight [Lowe] |