When we see the sunrise, do we perceive an illusion? We know that the sun is stationary with respect to the earth yet we say that the sun rises and falls. Are we misinforming ourselves, or, worse still, do we think that the sun presents misleading information? Philosophers talk of “accuracy conditions”, of “illusions” and “elusive appearances” but are these terms really appropriate? Is it even true to say that things present information to our senses? If we take the view that things do indeed present information then we are forced to conclude (though we should probably deny) that the sun presents inaccurate, imprecise or contradictory information about itself.
Many philosophers claim that experience has what they call
“content” and this is either rich or sparse depending on your philosophical view.
Others disagree. And so they should. The sun doesn’t emanate information and nor do the many
surfaces from which its energy in reflected. So, it doesn’t follow that the appearance
of the rising sun is inaccurate, elusive, deceptive, illusory etc.
The reason we commonly say that the sun rises and falls is
because this has proven again and again to be a useful description of what we
see. When some of our specialist needs changed (about 500 years or so ago) we
eventually worked out that the sun doesn’t in fact revolve around the earth. Yet
we continue to describe it in this way – not because we are misinformed, but
because this is the way that continues to be most useful for our earth-bound
needs.
So, what do we actually perceive
when our portion of the earth turns towards the sun? Well, if you ask
philosophers, you’ll get as many answers as you can fit fairies on a pinhead. But
perhaps the most revealing way of approaching this issue is by asking what we
can usefully do in response to the
things that we see. And one of the most useful things we have learnt to do –
especially with ungraspable things like the sun - is to represent them.
Perhaps one day it will be obvious that perception isn’t something
we gain possession of (content we get)
but rather something we are capable of doing. And, of all the things we are
capable of purposefully doing, representing is probably the most fundamental.
