Sophie Grace Chappell

Phenomenal Socialism

Philosophies June 26, 2024 Sophie Grace Chappell

Phenomenal socialism holds that what people directly perceive is primarily instances of high-level phenomenal properties, not low-level sensory data. This paper defends the weaker, 'primarily' version of that view. It first presents a recognitionalist manifesto and situates it within debates about naturalism, perception, the metaphysics of value, and theory versus anti-theory in ethics. It then reviews two familiar positions on perceptual content—phenomenal conservatism and liberalism—and introduces two neglected alternatives: phenomenal socialism and phenomenal nihilism. The paper defends a watered-down form of phenomenal socialism against four objections. Finally, it connects the view to the epistemology of modality and the role of imagination.