Observation Language and Theoretical

Abstract

It is sometimes thought that there is a contrast between such approaches to perception as rely on causal notions (‘causal theories of perception’), those discussions that emphasize the informational (‘representative’) nature of perception, and sense-datum theories of perception. This double contrast is largely spurious, however. In this chapter, I shall argue that an appropriate semantical analysis of the informational role of perception naturally, almost inevitably, leads us to assign an important role to causal relationships in the logic of perception. It is also suggested that this observation can be partially generalized to other notions which allow for individuation by acquaintance and that it puts into a new perspective several conceptual puzzles in this area.