Skepticism and the Veil of Perception

Huemer, Michael

ISBN 10: 0742512533 / ISBN 13: 9780742512535

Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2001

About this Item

One of the central questions of philosophy has been that of how we know that the objects perceive are real. The author develops a theory of awareness in which perception gives us an awareness of objects, not mental representations, and we have non-inferential knowledge of the objects' properties. Num Pages: 232 pages, bibliography, index. BIC Classification: HPM. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 229 x 153 x 24. Weight in Grams: 338. Good clean copy with minor shelfwear, remains very good. 2001. paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # KTS0035933

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Skepticism and the Veil of Perception
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0742512533
• ISBN 13: 9780742512535
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Since Descartes, one of the central questions of Western philosophy has been that of how we know that the objects we seem to perceive are real. Philosophical skeptics claim that we know no such thing. Representationalists claim that we can gain such knowledge only by inference, by showing that the hypothesis of a real world is the best explanation for the kind of sensations and mental images we experience. Both accept the doctrine of a 'veil of perception:' that perception can only give us direct awareness of images or representations of objects, not the external objects themselves. In contrast, Huemer develops a theory of perceptual awareness in which perception gives us direct awareness of real objects, not mental representations, and we have non-inferential knowledge of the properties of these objects. Further, Huemer confronts the four main arguments for philosophical skepticism, showing that they are powerless against this kind of theory of perceptual knowledge.

About the Author

Michael Huemer is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado at Boulder.