Is There a Perceptual Relation?

Many philosophers think that a central question in the philosophy of mind is the question of whether perceptual experience involves 'qualia', understood as intrinsic, nonrepresentational qualities of experience. This chapter argues that as far as perceptual experience is concerned (as opposed to experience of other kinds) this is not a central issue, since it is not motivated by the central puzzle or paradox of the philosophy of perception, which is the argument from illusion or hallucination. It outlines a general conception of the philosophy of perception which locates the central debate as that between those who think perception is a fundamentally a form of representation or intentionality, and those who think that it should be primarily understood in terms of an irreducible relation to the environment.