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Where Representational Mind Begins Analysis

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Philosophy 7: Philosophy of Mind
Professor J. Armstrong
ID: 204563815
TA: Jenna Donohue
Where Representational Mind Begins
In this paper, I will consider Tyler Burge’s argument claiming that perception is the most primitive kind of representational state and where representational mind begins. First, I will explain each of Burge’s claims, clarifying what Burge takes perceptual states to be and why he believes that perception is a capacity shared among all minded organisms. After, I will engage with Burge’s first claim, offering my own reasoning as to why perception is the most basic form of mental representation. I will conclude by summarizing my argument and promoting Burge’s notion that perception is the most basic form of representation. …show more content…

In fact, Burges first claim is that the most elementary forms of representation are already present in perception. Burge develops a functional account for perceptual states that assigns them the role of representing basic particulars and attributes of the environment. He calls this role “perceptual representation.” According to Burge, sensory systems pick up information from the physical world, which is then processed by perceptual systems. Burge believes that perceptions are carried out by a series of computational steps that process information, from proximal stimulations in the environment, without the need of resorting to cognitive capacities. As such, he promotes the idea that primitive mechanisms of perception take place without the involvement of cognition. Burge also holds that perceptual processing is objective in the sense that sensory input is processed by perceptual systems that produce inferences. Accordingly, this enables perceptual systems to transform information obtained from by the system’s sensory organs into perceptual states that correlate with attributes of the physical …show more content…

Perceptions refer to what a system is able to perceive, the information that a system is able to discern from the physical environment. Through perception, a system becomes aware and is able to interact with the natural world. Unlike sensory systems that are dependent on the vagaries of proximal stimulations, perceptual systems represent attributes of the environment, even in the presence of varying stimulation. Our ability to perceive an apple as being red through variable changes in illumination mediated through perceptual modules that help us represent and attune to the environment. Without the presence of perceptual states, a system would not have to, or be able to, represent properties in the

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