The Difference Between the Psychology and the Epistemology of Perception

Abstract

Consider a statement of the form “y perceives a Phi-x” — say “I see a tree” or “He hears a bell”. An analysis of such a statement that would, I think, elicit widespread agreement is that it asserts one thing essentially subjective and implies another more or less objective. The subjective proposition is that the subject is in a certain state (condition or activity) describable as a state of “perceiving a Phi-x”. The objective proposition is that there is something describable as “being a Phi-x” that he is perceiving. Thus, the statement “I see a tree” is false if I am not in a tree-seeing condition, and also false if there is no tree where I claim to see it. Similarly, “He hears a bell” is not true unless he is in a particular sort of hearing condition and there is a bell.