The Red and the Real offers a new approach to longstanding philosophical puzzles about what colors are and how they fit into the natural world. Jonathan Cohen argues for a role-functionalist treatment of color--a view according to which colors are identical to certain functional roles involving perceptual effects on subjects. Cohen first argues (on broadly empirical grounds) for the more general relationalist view that colors are constituted in terms of
relations between objects, perceivers, and viewing conditions. He responds to semantic, ontological, and phenomenological objections against this thesis, and argues that relationalism offers the best hope of
respecting both empirical results and ordinary belief about color. He then defends the more specific role functionalist-account by contending that the latter is the most plausible form of color relationalism.
The Red and the Real offers a new approach to longstanding philosophical puzzles about what colors are and how they fit into the natural world. Jonathan Cohen argues for a role-functionalist treatment of color--a view according to which colors are identical to certain functional roles involving perceptual effects on subjects. Cohen first argues (on broadly empirical grounds) for the more general relationalist view that colors are constituted in terms of
relations between objects, perceivers, and viewing conditions. He responds to semantic, ontological, and phenomenological objections against this thesis, and argues that relationalism offers the best hope of
respecting both empirical results and ordinary belief about color. He then defends the more specific role functionalist-account by contending that the latter is the most plausible form of color relationalism.
1: Introduction: The Space of Options
THE CASE FOR COLOR RELATIONALISM
2: The Argument From Perceptual Variation
3: Variation Revisited: Objections and Responses
DEFENSEANDELABORATION:ARELATIONALIST'S GUIDE TO REPRESENTATION,
ONTOLOGY, AND PHENOMENOLOGY
4: Relationalism Defended: Linguistic and Mental Representation of
Color
5: Relationalism Defended: Ontology
6: Relationalism Defended: Phenomenology
ROLE FUNCTIONALISM
7: A Role Functionalist Theory of Color
8: Role Functionalism and Its Relationalist Rivals
SUMMARY
9: Summary Conclusion
References
Index
1. Introduction: The Space of Options; THE CASE FOR COLOR RELATIONALISM; 2. The Argument From Perceptual Variation; 3. Variation Revisited: Objections and Responses; DEFENSEANDELABORATION:ARELATIONALIST'S GUIDE TO REPRESENTATION, ONTOLOGY, AND PHENOMENOLOGY; 4. Relationalism Defended: Linguistic and Mental Representation of Color; 5. Relationalism Defended: Ontology; 6. Relationalism Defended: Phenomenology; ROLE FUNCTIONALISM; 7. A Role Functionalist Theory of Color; 8. Role Functionalism and Its Relationalist Rivals; SUMMARY; 9. Summary Conclusion; References; Index
Jonathan Cohen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego. He is also a faculty member of UCSD's Interdiciplinary Cognitive Science Program.
`Review from previous edition In his admirable and engaging book,
Jonathan Cohen defends relationalism about color ... his book
contains much new material, develops a coherent package, and
provides important and thorough discussions of nearly every theory
of color. The book is also fun to read. Cohen is a real color
enthusiast, and this comes through on the printed page ... Cohen's
book provides the most complete and sophisticated case to date that
the
considerable benefits of relationalism outweigh its costs. In
addition, it contains important and thorough discussions of nearly
every rival theory of color. Cohen presents his ideas admirably.
This is the
most important book on color in some time.'
Adam Pautz, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
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