Border Disputes: Recent Debates along the Perception–Cognition Border

The distinction between perception and cognition is central to many debates in philosophy and cognitive science, but its actual basis remains unclear. This introductory article summarizes recent work on the question, first considering the possibility that the perception-cognition border should be eliminated from scientific ontology. It then introduces and critically examines five positive approaches to marking such a border, framed in terms of phenomenology, revisability, modularity, format, and stimulus-dependence.

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Abstract

The distinction between perception and cognition frames countless debates in philosophy and cognitive science. But what, if anything, does this distinction actually amount to? In this introductory article, we summarize recent work on this question. We first briefly consider the possibility that a perception-cognition border should be eliminated from our scientific ontology, and then introduce and critically examine five positive approaches to marking a perception–cognition border, framed in terms of phenomenology, revisability, modularity, format, and stimulus-dependence .