The Standpoint of the Perceiver
Cambridge University Press eBooks November 27, 2025 DOI: 10.1017/9781009596213.003 (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 | Perception Intuition Cognition Realism Variety cybernetics Transcendental number Empiricism Idealism Epistemology Cognitive science Space punctuation Intentionality Analogy Contemporary philosophy |
| Key points | Argues that a deflated version of Kant's transcendental idealism, combined with direct realism, allows space to be understood as a form of perceiving that mirrors the spatial layout of a perceived scene. |
Abstract
The human standpoint and what sets it apart from the standpoint of non-rational animals is discussed. Some distinctions are also drawn between “lower” and “higher" representations of objects in terms of how much they involve of the cognitive apparatus. Additionally, it is discussed briefly how the human standpoint contrasts with the God’s eye viewpoint of traditional metaphysics. This brings us to a distinctive framework for empirical cognition of objects, namely, space and time as human forms of intuition – rather than God’s absolute “sensoria,” as in Isaac Newton. The framework gives rise to the distinction between appearances and things in themselves that comes with Kant’s Copernican turn. However, what is to be defended in subsequent chapters is a special variety of direct realism in philosophy of perception, and, thus, a deflated version of the “transcendental” side of Kant’s position. Even within mere empirical realism, with transcendental idealism bracketed, space can be seen as a form of perceiving, in so far as perceptual content is organized in a space-like manner and mirrors the layout of a spatial, perceived scene.