A General Framework for Subjective Experiences: Perceptions, Illusions, and Hallucinations
Ali Safaei
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) August 12, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21905355 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that perceptions, illusions, and hallucinations all arise from a unified mechanism integrating bottom-up and top-down processes, and identifies two types of perceptual and non-perceptual hallucinations within a consistent taxonomy. |
Abstract
This paper introduces a unified framework for the philosophy of perception that systematically integrates bottom-up sensory constraints with top-down cognitive processes. By establishing a shared structural architecture for all subjective experiences, the present framework demonstrates how genuine perceptions, illusions, and hallucinations can be derived from the same underlying mechanism. Ultimately, this approach moves beyond traditional passive causal models of perception, offering an explanatory system that bridges analytic philosophy of mind with contemporary cognitive science. The present framework is established on trivial first principles, and allows not only for a consistent taxonomy of subjective experiences but also for the identification of two types of perceptual and non-perceptual hallucinations.