Amodal completion and relationalism
Bence Nánay
Abstract
Amodal completion is usually characterized as the representation of those parts of the perceived object that we get no sensory stimulation from. In the case of the visual sense modality, for example, amodal completion is the representation of occluded parts of objects we see. I argue that relationalism about perception, the view that perceptual experience is constituted by the relation to the perceived object, cannot give a coherent account of amodal completion. The relationalist has two options: construe the perceptual relation as the relation to the entire perceived object or as the relation to the unoccluded parts of the perceived object. I argue that neither of these options are viable.
Topics & Concepts
Amodal perceptionObject (grammar)PerceptionRelation (database)Representation (politics)PsychologyPhilosophy of mindCognitive psychologyModality (human–computer interaction)Cognitive scienceEpistemologyMetaphysicsPhilosophyComputer scienceArtificial intelligenceNeurosciencePolitical scienceLawDatabasePoliticsVisual perception and processing mechanismsPhilosophy and Theoretical ScienceMultisensory perception and integration