Skip to content

Categorical Phenomenology

Jody Azzouni

The Anatomy of Experience December 12, 2025 DOI: 10.1093/9780197790151.003.0008 (opens in new tab)

Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Topics Philosophy of mind
Key points Argues that both categorical perception and noncategorical thisness are relatively "empty" because categorical perception involves incomplete awareness of category scope and every human experience includes both elements, making pure thisness indescribable.

Abstract

Abstract Careful introspection reveals that both categorical perception and pure noncategorical thisness are relatively “empty.” Categorical perception is the experience of generality, that something is an instance. But being an instance comes to very little because our experience of the scope of categories, the range of things that can be categorized as dog or as pink, for example, is so partial and incomplete. Relatedly, as illustrated using a thought experiment about “brain-grayers” (hypothetical people who are sightless from birth), the experience of noncategorical thisness comes to very little as well, because every human experience includes categorical perception as well as thisness. Any attempt to describe thisness apart from CP fails to capture what our experience is actually like.

Comparable studies

Other theoretical and historical papers on philosophy of mind, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. 2003 Theoretical or philosophical paper
From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. 2005 Theoretical or philosophical paper
How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). 2017 Theoretical or philosophical paper
The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. 2013 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution 2017 Theoretical or philosophical paper

Citations in the library

Cites 5

Related reading

Explore topics

Philosophy of mind