Having Things in View
Ergo an Open Access Journal of Philosophy March 2, 2026 Paweł Jakub Zięba
Relationalism (naïve realism) holds that the phenomenal character of conscious perception is partly constituted by the perceived items themselves, not by representations of them. The austere version denies that perceiving involves representing; representation only occurs later through judgment. However, empirical evidence shows that unconscious perceptual judgment can precede conscious perception, and that perception can occur unconsciously. This challenges the austere view. The author argues for a revised austere relationalism based on the Purely Relational theory of perception, which accommodates the evidence and eliminates the need for the obscure concept of unanalysable conscious acquaintance.