The perception paradox: between conscious and unconscious
Humanities & Social Sciences Communications June 14, 2026 Juanjuan Cheng
Perception should be defined by what it does—selecting, representing, and guiding behavior—not by whether it involves conscious experience. This functionalist view allows for both conscious and unconscious forms of perception, which are continuous manifestations of a shared cognitive architecture. Evidence from binocular rivalry, visual masking, and blindsight shows that perceptual processing extends beyond phenomenal limits. The paper argues against Phillips' consciousness-centric definition on three grounds: it excludes empirically supported unconscious perception, wrongly assumes a rigid link between perception and consciousness, and narrows the scope of perception research. A functionally grounded framework bridges philosophy and cognitive science.