What Is It Like To Be in a Pure Perceptual State?
Análisis Filosófico November 8, 2024 Sergio Cermeño-aínsa
The idea that perception can occur entirely free from cognitive influence—pure perception—is examined and found unsupportable. Pure perception is often characterized as having nonconceptual content, an iconic format, and a unique phenomenology. The paper argues that this concept is untenable: introspection, psychological observation, and neuroanatomy all fail to provide empirical evidence for the existence of such pure perceptual states. No grounds were found to individuate these states, and specific theoretical worries further undermine the notion.