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Presence, objecthood, and the phenomenology of predictive perception

Anil K. Seth

Cognitive Neuroscience April 7, 2015 DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2015.1026888 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Topics Philosophy of mind
Keywords Phenomenology philosophy Perception Cognitive psychology Predictive value Cognitive science Epistemology
Citations 56
Key points Argues that perceptual presence can be explained by counterfactually-rich predictive models, and that this requires distinguishing perceptual presence from phenomenal unreality.

Abstract

Can perceptual presence be explained by counterfactually-rich predictive models linking perception and action? Considering an unusually rich range of responses to this idea has led me to (1) re-emphasize the core conceptual commitment of "predictive processing of sensorimotor contingencies" (PPSMC) to predictive model-based perception, (2) reconsider the relationship between presence and objecthood, and (3) refine the phenomenological target by differentiating between perceptual presence and the phenomenology of absence-of-presence, or "phenomenal unreality." It turns out that this requires blue-sky thinking.