Helmholtz on Perceptual Properties
Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy September 23, 2020 R. Brian Tracz
Hermann von Helmholtz denied that humans can perceive mind-independent properties of external objects, a position called Ignorance. While this might suggest subjectivism—that we only perceive properties of our own mental representations—the author argues Helmholtz instead endorsed relationalism: the properties we perceive are all relational properties, not monadic properties of either the subject or the object. The paper clarifies this by examining neglected terminological distinctions in Helmholtz's writings, showing how these distinctions make sense of his relationalist view. Helmholtz's work on perception fundamentally shaped Neo-Kantian movements and continues to influence psychology and analytic philosophy.