Perceptual contents a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience

The aim of the thesis is to examine various views that have been advocated in contemporary discussions concerning the content of perceptual experiences. The nature of the contents posited in those views is the focus of this study. In the views that are discussed here, perceptual contents have been a...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Oinas, Simo
Other Authors: Yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta, Faculty of Social Sciences, Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos, Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylän yliopisto
Format: Master's thesis
Language:eng
Published: 2013
Subjects:
Online Access: https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/41838
_version_ 1828193124809179137
author Oinas, Simo
author2 Yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta Faculty of Social Sciences Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto
author_facet Oinas, Simo Yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta Faculty of Social Sciences Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto Oinas, Simo Yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta Faculty of Social Sciences Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto
author_sort Oinas, Simo
datasource_str_mv jyx
description The aim of the thesis is to examine various views that have been advocated in contemporary discussions concerning the content of perceptual experiences. The nature of the contents posited in those views is the focus of this study. In the views that are discussed here, perceptual contents have been argued to be either conceptual, externalist, nonconceptual or particular. In this thesis, John McDowell is presented as the proponent of conceptual content, Jeff Speaks as the proponent of externalist content, Christopher Peacocke as the proponent of abstract nonconceptual contents, and Tim Crane as the proponent of particular nonconceptual content. The revised view of John McDowell, as well as the view of Charles Travis, is also briefly presented. The views are discussed with the emphasis on how they explain experiential aspects of our perceptual experiences, with somewhat less attention given to epistemological concerns. As a common method of analysis, the contents advocated by the views are analysed by applying classical philosophical distinctions. The contents are further analysed by examining what kind of perceptual relations they could be the contents of. The analyses indicate that there are differing conceptions or understandings of content in play in the current discussion. These understandings can, however, be evaluated and compared in relation to what experiential aspects they can explain. Regarding such explanations, particular contents appear as perhaps the most promising alternative as the fundamental contents of perceptual experiences. The main problem with the view of particular content, as it is advocated by Tim Crane, is that it is too sparing in its descriptions of what kind of features figure in that content. Therefore, it is concluded that a genuinely descriptive account of particular psychological content is needed in the context of understanding the nature of perceptual experiences, and perhaps also in the context of understanding the nature of beliefs and mental concepts.
first_indexed 2023-03-22T09:59:54Z
format Pro gradu
free_online_boolean 1
fullrecord [{"key": "dc.contributor.author", "value": "Oinas, Simo", "language": null, "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "author", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.date.accessioned", "value": "2013-06-24T17:28:47Z", "language": "", "element": "date", "qualifier": "accessioned", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.date.available", "value": "2013-06-24T17:28:47Z", "language": "", "element": "date", "qualifier": "available", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.date.issued", "value": "2013", "language": null, "element": "date", "qualifier": "issued", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.identifier.other", "value": "oai:jykdok.linneanet.fi:1270808", "language": null, "element": "identifier", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.identifier.uri", "value": "https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/41838", "language": "", "element": "identifier", "qualifier": "uri", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.description.abstract", "value": "The aim of the thesis is to examine various views that have been advocated in contemporary discussions concerning the content of perceptual experiences. The nature of the contents posited in those views is the focus of this study. In the views that are discussed here, perceptual contents have been argued to be either conceptual, externalist, nonconceptual or particular. In this thesis, John McDowell is presented as the proponent of conceptual content, Jeff Speaks as the proponent of externalist content, Christopher Peacocke as the proponent of abstract nonconceptual contents, and Tim Crane as the proponent of particular nonconceptual content. The revised view of John McDowell, as well as the view of Charles Travis, is also briefly presented.\r\n\r\nThe views are discussed with the emphasis on how they explain experiential aspects of our perceptual experiences, with somewhat less attention given to epistemological concerns. As a common method of analysis, the contents advocated by the views are analysed by applying classical philosophical distinctions. The contents are further analysed by examining what kind of perceptual relations they could be the contents of.\r\n\r\nThe analyses indicate that there are differing conceptions or understandings of content in play in the current discussion. These understandings can, however, be evaluated and compared in relation to what experiential aspects they can explain. Regarding such explanations, particular contents appear as perhaps the most promising alternative as the fundamental contents of perceptual experiences. The main problem with the view of particular content, as it is advocated by Tim Crane, is that it is too sparing in its descriptions of what kind of features figure in that content. Therefore, it is concluded that a genuinely descriptive account of particular psychological content is needed in the context of understanding the nature of perceptual experiences, and perhaps also in the context of understanding the nature of beliefs and mental concepts.", "language": "en", "element": "description", "qualifier": "abstract", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.description.provenance", "value": "Submitted using Plone Publishing form by Simo Oinas (sioinas) on 2013-06-24 17:28:46.779117. Form: Pro gradu -lomake (1 tekij\u00e4) (https://kirjasto.jyu.fi/julkaisut/julkaisulomakkeet/pro-gradu-lomake-1-tekijae). JyX data:", "language": "en", "element": "description", "qualifier": "provenance", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.description.provenance", "value": "Submitted by jyx lomake-julkaisija (jyx-julkaisija@noreply.fi) on 2013-06-24T17:28:47Z\r\nNo. of bitstreams: 2\r\nURN:NBN:fi:jyu-201306242037.pdf: 1126120 bytes, checksum: 612972c1dae370eb48f6794959505213 (MD5)\r\nlicense.html: 107 bytes, checksum: a7d86e598caa500b1b433bbb9dc8ef1c (MD5)", "language": "en", "element": "description", "qualifier": "provenance", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.description.provenance", "value": "Made available in DSpace on 2013-06-24T17:28:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2\r\nURN:NBN:fi:jyu-201306242037.pdf: 1126120 bytes, checksum: 612972c1dae370eb48f6794959505213 (MD5)\r\nlicense.html: 107 bytes, checksum: a7d86e598caa500b1b433bbb9dc8ef1c (MD5)\r\n Previous issue date: 2013", "language": "en", "element": "description", "qualifier": "provenance", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.format.extent", "value": "1 verkkoaineisto.", "language": null, "element": "format", "qualifier": "extent", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.format.mimetype", "value": "application/pdf", "language": null, "element": "format", "qualifier": "mimetype", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.language.iso", "value": "eng", "language": null, "element": "language", "qualifier": "iso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.rights", "value": "In Copyright", "language": "en", "element": "rights", "qualifier": null, "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "perceptual experience", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "content", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "conceptualism", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "nonconceptualism", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "particular content", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.title", "value": "Perceptual contents : a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience", "language": null, "element": "title", "qualifier": null, "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type", "value": "master thesis", "language": null, "element": "type", "qualifier": null, "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.identifier.urn", "value": "URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201306242037", "language": null, "element": "identifier", "qualifier": "urn", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.dcmitype", "value": "Text", "language": "en", "element": "type", "qualifier": "dcmitype", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.ontasot", "value": "Pro gradu -tutkielma", "language": "fi", "element": "type", "qualifier": "ontasot", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.ontasot", "value": "Master\u2019s thesis", "language": "en", "element": "type", "qualifier": "ontasot", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.faculty", "value": "Yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta", "language": "fi", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "faculty", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.faculty", "value": "Faculty of Social Sciences", "language": "en", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "faculty", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.department", "value": "Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos", "language": "fi", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "department", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.department", "value": "Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy", "language": "en", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "department", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.organization", "value": "University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4", "language": "en", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "organization", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.organization", "value": "Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4n yliopisto", "language": "fi", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "organization", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.discipline", "value": "Filosofia", "language": "fi", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "discipline", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.discipline", "value": "Philosophy", "language": "en", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "discipline", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.date.updated", "value": "2013-06-24T17:28:47Z", "language": "", "element": "date", "qualifier": "updated", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.coar", "value": "http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_bdcc", "language": null, "element": "type", "qualifier": "coar", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.rights.accesslevel", "value": "openAccess", "language": "fi", "element": "rights", "qualifier": "accesslevel", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.publication", "value": "masterThesis", "language": null, "element": "type", "qualifier": "publication", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.oppiainekoodi", "value": "201", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "oppiainekoodi", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.yso", "value": "konseptualismi", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "yso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.yso", "value": "nominalismi", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "yso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.yso", "value": "k\u00e4sitteet", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "yso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.yso", "value": "sis\u00e4lt\u00f6", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "yso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.format.content", "value": "fulltext", "language": null, "element": "format", "qualifier": "content", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.rights.url", "value": "https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/", "language": null, "element": "rights", "qualifier": "url", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.okm", "value": "G2", "language": null, "element": "type", "qualifier": "okm", "schema": "dc"}]
id jyx.123456789_41838
language eng
last_indexed 2025-03-31T20:02:22Z
main_date 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z
main_date_str 2013
online_boolean 1
online_urls_str_mv {"url":"https:\/\/jyx.jyu.fi\/bitstreams\/4ed2fbfa-da86-408a-9fb6-ad500f838c7c\/download","text":"URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201306242037.pdf","source":"jyx","mediaType":"application\/pdf"}
publishDate 2013
record_format qdc
source_str_mv jyx
spellingShingle Oinas, Simo Perceptual contents : a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience perceptual experience content conceptualism nonconceptualism particular content Filosofia Philosophy 201 konseptualismi nominalismi käsitteet sisältö
title Perceptual contents : a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience
title_full Perceptual contents : a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience
title_fullStr Perceptual contents : a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience Perceptual contents : a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience
title_full_unstemmed Perceptual contents : a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience Perceptual contents : a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience
title_short Perceptual contents
title_sort perceptual contents a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience
title_sub a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience
title_txtP Perceptual contents : a study on the nature of the contents of perceptual experience
topic perceptual experience content conceptualism nonconceptualism particular content Filosofia Philosophy 201 konseptualismi nominalismi käsitteet sisältö
topic_facet 201 Filosofia Philosophy conceptualism content konseptualismi käsitteet nominalismi nonconceptualism particular content perceptual experience sisältö
url https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/41838 http://www.urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201306242037
work_keys_str_mv AT oinassimo perceptualcontentsastudyonthenatureofthecontentsofperceptualexperience