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Do Constancy Mechanisms Save Distal Content?
- Source :
-
Philosophical Quarterly . Apr2019, Vol. 69 Issue 275, p409-417. 9p. - Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- In this journal, Schulte develops a novel solution to the problem of distal content: by virtue of what is a mental representation about a distal object (say, a snake) rather than a more proximal cause of that representation (say, a snake-shaped retinal impression)? Schulte maintains that in order for a (sensory-perceptual) representation to have a distal content, it must be produced by a constancy mechanism, along with two other conditions. I raise three objections to his solution. First, a core component of Schulte's solution is just a restrictive version of Dretske's solution, but Schulte gives no argument for his restriction. Second, his proposed solution to a disjunction problem (his 'naturalness' condition) is ad hoc. Finally, his 'far-out' version of the distality problem is not a version of the distality problem at all. I conclude that Dretske's solution is preferable to Schulte's. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00318094
- Volume :
- 69
- Issue :
- 275
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Philosophical Quarterly
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 135497468
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1093/pq/pqy032