The Role of Concepts in Perceptual Objectivity
Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology June 12, 2026 Bill Brewer
The paper examines whether applying concepts during perception helps us understand that what we perceive is objective—existing independently of our minds. It clarifies a specific version of this question and argues for an affirmative answer, a position called Conceptualism. The author then develops an objection to Conceptualism based on J.L. Mackie's work, offers an alternative Anti-Conceptualist account of perceptual objectivity, and explains where both the argument for Conceptualism and Mackie's response to it go wrong.