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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Journal | Volume | Article

142245

Representationalism and Husserlian phenomenology

Michael K Shim

pp. 197-216

Abstract

According to contemporary representationalism, phenomenal qualia—of specifically sensory experiences—supervene on representational content. Most arguments for representationalism share a common, phenomenological premise: the so-called "transparency thesis." According to the transparency thesis, it is difficult—if not impossible—to distinguish the quality or character of experiencing an object from the perceived properties of that object. In this paper, I show that Husserl would react negatively to the transparency thesis; and, consequently, that Husserl would be opposed to at least two versions of contemporary representationalism. First, I show that Husserl would be opposed to strong representationalism, since he believes the cognitive content of a perceptual episode can vary despite constancy of sensory qualia. Second, I then show that Husserl would be opposed to weak representationalism, since he believes that sensory qualia—specifically, the sort that he calls "kinesthetic sensations"—can vary despite constancy in representational content.

Publication details

Published in:

(2011) Husserl Studies 27 (3).

Pages: 197-216

DOI: 10.1007/s10743-011-9093-y

Full citation:

Shim Michael K (2011) „Representationalism and Husserlian phenomenology“. Husserl Studies 27 (3), 197–216.