What it is like to see

a sensorimotor theory of perceptual experience

J. O'Regan

Alva Noé

pp. 79-103

in: Synthese 129 (1), 2001.

Abstract

The paper proposes a way of bridging the gapbetween physical processes in the brain and the ''felt''aspect of sensory experience. The approach is based onthe idea that experience is not generated by brainprocesses themselves, but rather is constituted by theway these brain processes enable a particular form of''give-and-take'' between the perceiver and theenvironment. From this starting-point we are able tocharacterize the phenomenological differences betweenthe different sensory modalities in a more principledway than has been done in the past. We are also ableto approach the issues of visual awareness andconsciousness in a satisfactory way. Finally weconsider a number of testable empirical consequences,one of which is the striking prediction of thephenomenon of ''change blindness''.