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Heirs of Nothing: The Implications of Transparency
Author(s) -
KENNEDY MATTHEW
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
philosophy and phenomenological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1933-1592
pISSN - 0031-8205
DOI - 10.1111/j.1933-1592.2009.00294.x
Subject(s) - qualia , direct and indirect realism , transparency (behavior) , epistemology , phenomenon , nothing , realism , philosophy , externalism , phenomenology (philosophy) , argument (complex analysis) , consciousness , computer science , chemistry , biochemistry , computer security
Recently representationalists have cited a phenomenon known as the transparency of experience in arguments against the qualia theory. Representationalists take transparency to support their theory and to work against the qualia theory. In this paper I argue that representationalist assessment of the philosophical importance of transparency is incorrect. The true beneficiary of transparency is another theory, naïve realism. Transparency militates against qualia and the representationalist theory of experience. I describe the transparency phenomenon, and I use my description to argue for naïve realism and against representationalism and the qualia theory. I also examine the relationship between phenomenological study and phenomenal character, and discuss the results in connection with the argument from hallucination.