Neopragmatism and Philosophy of Perception
Purpose and Procedure in Philosophy of Perception June 10, 2021 Joshua Gert
Neopragmatism offers an anti-metaphysical approach to philosophical problems by shifting attention from metaphysics to language, seeking uncontentious explanations for why certain talk creates the impression of deep puzzles. In perception, this chapter applies neopragmatist techniques to undermine naïve realism, a theory that perceptual experience directly presents mind-independent reality. The critique has two parts: first, it challenges naïve realism's metaphysical commitments; second, it uses neopragmatism to explain away ideas thought to support it, such as perceptual experience's openness and its insight into the mind-independent world. Neopragmatism also suggests a positive view of perception: adverbialism, where sensory states carry information without robust representation.