CFP: The 2016 BPPA Masterclass: Perception and Perceptual Appearances in Ancient Philosophy

Call For Applications

Early in the twentieth century, perception, as distinct from other forms of cognition, became one of the favourite topics among the philosophers of the English-speaking world. Philosophical debates about different problems derived from reflection upon perceptual experience were vigorous and ubiquitous, having academics from Cambridge and Oxford as protagonists. Since then, philosophy of perception has become a central theme in the analytical tradition. Far from being a peculiar topic of interest of contemporary philosophers, perception has preoccupied philosophers from relatively early on in the development of philosophy in the ancient world. As is well-known, ancient thinkers from the pre-Socratics to the philosophers of the late antiquity proposed different theories of perception. These theories were part of competing views about the relation between perceiver and world. Their aim was to explain the puzzling and conflicting elements in experience in light of the causal mechanisms of sense perceptions. These proposals, and in general the differences in the ancient treatments of perceptual experience, are still interesting in their own right and also in so far as they set the agenda for later discussion.
 
This Masterclass has three related aims: to explore some of the alternative theories of perception put forward in antiquity; to compare ancient and contemporary debates on perception; and to investigate whether ancient theories of perception may bring light to some points of contemporary discussions. We welcome papers focused on the phenomenon of perception and related topics in ancient philosophy: What is it that we perceive? How can the structure of the experience be explained? Why do we perceive objects instead of disjoint arrays of sensible qualities? What are the metaphysical underpinnings of the different models of perception in antiquity? What are the causal mechanisms of perception? What is the nature of appearances? How should we approach conflicts of appearances? What is the nature of perceptual content? How can we explain the intentional character of our perceptual experiences? What is the metaphysical status of sensible qualities? Are sensible properties intrinsic properties of ordinary objects? Does awareness of a given affection imply commitment to the veridicality of its content? What is the relation between perceptual experiences and the external world? Should we consider the senses as sources of knowledge? What is the role of perception as a basis for empirical knowledge?
 
Possible areas of focus include, but are not limited to:

· Theories of perceptions in antiquity.
· Ancient theories of mental representation and content.
· Ancient ways of conceptualising perceptual appearances.
· Ancient ways of conceptualising sensible qualities.
· Ancient ways of problematizing perceptual experience: (a) problems created by the phenomena of perceptual illusion and hallucination (‘traditional’ problem of perception), and (b) problems generated by reflection upon the justification or warrant of perceptual beliefs (‘epistemological’ problems of perception).
· Problems derived from the intentional character of perceptual mental states (e.g. how can we explain what it is for a perceptual mental state to have content?).
· Problems related to the phenomenon of conflicting perceptual appearances.
· Continuity between perceptual appearances and 'thought appearances'.
· Parallels between ancient and contemporary debates on perception.
 

Application Guidelines

We invite applications from graduate students and early career researchers (within three years of completion of their degree). To apply for presenting your work, please send the following documents (in ‘.doc’, ‘.docx’ or ‘.pdf’ format):

1. an anonymised abstract of up to 1,000 words (papers should be suitable for 20-30 min presentations). Please write ‘Abstract Submission’ in the subject line of your email. 

2. a one-page cover letter with a brief description of your research and academic interests, explaining your motivation for applying to take part in this masterclass and how you hope to benefit from attending (please include your name, academic affiliation, and contact details).

Deadlines: The documents should be sent to [email protected] by Thursday 31st March. We especially encourage applications from underrepresented groups in academia. Applicants will be notified the outcomes of their applications by Friday 15th April; successful applicants will be asked to submit the final draft of their papers by Thursday 12th May. If you have any questions, feel free to submit them to the same email address.

Reading texts assigned by the academics are to be read by participants beforehand. They will be provided as soon as they are available (date TBC).

Funding information: Bursaries for participants (i.e. speakers) will be offered. Although we will make our best effort to secure funding to cover the expenses (i.e. catering & accommodation) of the participants, they are encouraged to apply for bursaries from their home institutions. Travel bursaries are TBC.

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