The Modal-Ability View Articulated
June 5, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/9780198998990.003.0008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Subject documents Perception Point geometry Object grammar Key lock Interpretation philosophy Perspective graphical Epistemology Cognitive science Indeterminate Aesthetics |
| Key points | Proposes that the intentional horizons of spatial perception consist in indeterminate ability awareness indexed to spatial possibilities, anticipating a yet-to-be-determined point of view on the object. |
Abstract
Abstract In the first of two chapters dedicated to Modal-Ability view, this chapter articulates the view. While the view is introduced as a distinctive and original proposal, it draws on key ideas discussed across the study, such as ability awareness, the visual background, and the visual potential of objects. The central claim of the view is that the intentional horizons of spatial perception consist in a specific kind of indeterminate ability awareness indexed to spatial possibilities. More specifically, what is anticipated is the possibility that the perceiving subject could come to occupy, or could envisage occupying, some yet-to-be-determined point of view on the object. The view is also contrasted with some similar proposals in contemporary philosophy of perception.