Single Idea 7871

[catalogued under 12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 7. Causal Perception]

Full Idea

We may say that a perceptual concept refers to that entity which normally causes classificatory uses of that concept...but this won't work because such deployments are often caused by things which the concept doesn't refer to. A model might cause 'bird'.

Gist of Idea

Perceptual concepts can't just refer to what causes classification

Source

David Papineau (Thinking about Consciousness [2002], 4.6)

Book Reference

Papineau,David: 'Thinking about Consciousness' [OUP 2004], p.113


A Reaction

This rejects the causal theory of perceptual concepts. I like the approach, because classifying things strikes me as absolutely basic to what brains do. To see that x is a bird is to place x in the class of birds.