Which theory of colour best accounts for variation in colour experiences?

Carla M Forster; Xingrong Li

Which theory of colour best accounts for variation in colour experiences?

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Abstract

Physicalism has been accused of not being compatible with variation in colour experiences. If colours are physical properties of external objects, they should appear the same in everyone’s eyes, just like we agree on the fact that a typical chair has four legs. By combining physicalism with perspectivism, I propose a convincing account that could exist coherently with various colour experiences. At the same time, I argue that this account is the best account among many, for it is more informative, empirically consistent, and scientifically encouraging.

Original language	English
Journal	Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching (BILT) Student Research Journal
Issue number	5
Publication status	Published - 1 Jul 2024

Keywords

physicalism
perspectivism
colour experience
realism

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Accepted author manuscript, 187 KBLicence: CC BY

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@article{16d1d84742d4468ba2a5f4bd33250b43,

title = "Which theory of colour best accounts for variation in colour experiences?",

abstract = "Physicalism has been accused of not being compatible with variation in colour experiences. If colours are physical properties of external objects, they should appear the same in everyone{\textquoteright}s eyes, just like we agree on the fact that a typical chair has four legs. By combining physicalism with perspectivism, I propose a convincing account that could exist coherently with various colour experiences. At the same time, I argue that this account is the best account among many, for it is more informative, empirically consistent, and scientifically encouraging.",

keywords = "physicalism, perspectivism, colour experience, realism",

author = "Forster, {Carla M} and Xingrong Li",

year = "2024",

month = jul,

day = "1",

language = "English",

journal = "Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching (BILT) Student Research Journal",