Author Description

Review In this book, Robert Schwartz links various themes in the philosophy of perception in novel and highly illuminating ways. His maverick range of interests, and his sharp sense of the interconnections between them, demand the serious attention of all those interested in the philosophy of vision. (Robert Hopkins, University of Sheffield)These essays move nimbly over a broad theoretical landscape, from Berkeley and Helmholtz to Gibson and computational approachers. Along the way Schwartz offers many illuminating observations related to perceived spatial layout, perceived color, the perception of objects, and the nature of perceptual representation. Vision scientists and philosophers of psychology will find this collection rewarding. (William Epstein, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia) Product Description These essays by Robert Schwartz on topics in the theory of vision are written from a pragmatic perspective. The issues and arguments will interest both philosophers and psychologists, covering new ground and bridging gaps between these disciplines. Schwartz begins historically, with discussions of problems raised and solutions offered in Bishop Berkeley's writings on vision, presenting Berkeley's views on spatial perception and the qualitative aspects of sensory experience in the context of recent theoretical and empirical work in vision theory. Schwartz then turns to debates in both the philosophical and psychological literature over the view that perception is inferential and thus "indirect." Critically surveying competing characterizations of the idea of "inferential processes" he argues the need either to reframe radically the question or drop the issue. Next, Schwartz discusses pictorial representation and research on picture perception. Drawing on the work of Nelson Goodman, Schwartz explains and defends the advantages of a symbolic approach to both topics. Finally, he examines the quagmires that often develop when metaphysical