re: the scientific status of pcp

James Mancuso (mancusoj@crisny.org)
Tue, 18 Jun 1996 16:58:20 -0400 (EDT)

>
>> 1. the world is composed of objects and things,
>> 2. these items become known to us through 'perception,'
>> 3. this perception process basically operates automatically,
>> somewhat like a tape-recorder or camera, into our 'mind'
>> 4. and so does not involve any significant interpreting
>> activity by us,
>> 5. and is not affected by our observations of, or actions
>> about, them.
>>
>> (b) The above, I submit, is a fair summary of what may be termed
>> a philosophy / paradigm / ontology of Objectivism.
>

What could be meant by the item 3, above???

How could one possibly develop a position which holds that
"perception operates automatically??"

First off, what is perception? We might develop constructions about
sensation involving energy tranlations at sensory end organs. What do we do
from there? Do the neural energies somehow get translated into simulacra of
whatever there might be in the "world out there" which we take to be
associated with the energies which were transformed into neural energies???

Of what do we speak when we speak of PERCEPTION.

After that, we might want to talk about a process that we might
regard as AUTOMATIC.

I had concluded that the idea of external energies/neural energy
correspondence as perception had gone out well before JJ Gibson came on the
scene!!!

Jim Mancuso

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