Learning Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this module will:
(1) have a good grasp of some of the central issues in contemporary philosophy of perception and the senses
(2) have engaged critically with the most important views and arguments in this area, and
(3) have developed some independent thoughts and arguments on those issues.
Indicative Module Content:
The precise topics covered each year may vary, but may include:
• How many senses do we have, and what are they? (Hint: there are more than five!)
• Can our thoughts or beliefs influence what we perceive?
• What are the objects of visual, tactile, auditory, taste and smell experience?
• How do various senses interact in multisensory experience?
• What can hallucination and illusion teach us about ordinary experience?
• What would it mean for perception to be a “controlled hallucination”?
• How do we experience space and time across different sensory modalities?