Colour Vision: A Study in Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Perception
Colour fascinates all of us, and scientists and philosophers have sought to understand the true nature of colour vision for many years. In recent times, investigations into colour vision have been one of the main success stories of cognitive science, for each discipline within the field – neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, computer science and artificial intelligence, and philosophy – has contributed significantly to our understanding of colour. Evan Thompson’s book is a major contribution to this interdisciplinary project. Colour Vision provides an accessible review of the current scientific and philosophical discussions of colour vision. Thompson steers a course between the subjective and objective positions on colour, arguing for a relational account. This account develops a novel ‘ecological’ approach to colour vision in cognitive science and the philosophy of perception. It is vital reading for all cognitive scientists and philosophers whose interests touch upon this central area.
Praise for Colour Vision
“Color has been a favorite example of philosophers ever since David Hume worried about the missing shade of blue, but most of their thought experiments, we can now see, have been misinformed. Thomson shows how current work in science on the nature of color and color vision transforms our philosophical vision of colors, clarifying (if not settling) new controversies while closing down old–and eternally tempting–confusions. Informed philosophical discussion about color begins here.”
— Daniel C. Dennett, Tufts University
Evan Thompson 