Color and Perceptual Variation Revisited: Unknown Facts, Alien Modalities, and Perfect Psychosemantics

Author: Cohen, Jonathan

Source: dialectica, Volume 60, Number 3, September 2006 , pp. 307-319(13)

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Abstract:

An adequate ontology of color must face the empirical facts about perceptual variation. In this paper I begin by reviewing a range of data about perceptual variation, and showing how they tell against color physicalism and motivate color relationalism. Next I consider a series of objections to the argument from perceptual variation, and argue that they are unpersuasive. My conclusion will be that the argument remains a powerful obstacle for color physicalism, and a powerful reason to believe in color relationalism instead.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-8361.2006.01057.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0119;, Email: joncohen@aardvark.ucsd.edu

Publication date: 2006-09-01