4 papers in the library · 14 citations · publishing 2019-2026
European Journal of Philosophy May 14, 2026 Keith Allen
David Katz was an empirical psychologist with a deep and abiding interest in phenomenology. This paper reconstructs his theory of colour and colour perception, central to which is a distinctive account of the perception of illumination and empty space. Katz's views were an important influence on both the Gestalt psychologists and phenomenologists such as Merleau‐Ponty, and have contemporary...
Synthese April 21, 2026 Eugen Fischer, Keith Allen, Paul E. Engelhardt
Abstract Longstanding philosophical debates about the nature of perception revolve around a clash between Direct Realist and Indirect Realist conceptions of vision. These deny and affirm, respectively, that vision involves awareness of mental images which represent the physical objects of sight. The assumption that ‘the’ common-sense conception of vision is Direct Realist shapes these debates....
Purpose and Procedure in Philosophy of Perception June 10, 2021 Keith Allen
Abstract: How should we decide between philosophical theories of perception? This paper addresses this question by considering the debate between naïve realists and their opponents, and in particular the claim that naïve realism provides a distinctive way of resolving the Problem of Consciousness. I argue that the naïve realist’s solution requires rejecting what many consider to be a ‘fixed...
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research January 18, 2019 Keith Allen 14 citations
This paper develops a form of transcendental naive realism. According to naive realism, veridical perceptual experiences are essentially relational. According to transcendental naive realism, the naive realist theory of perception is not just one theory of perception amongst others, to be established as an inference to the best explanation and assessed on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis...