Abstract

Significant variations in the way objects appear across different viewing conditions pose a challenge to the view that they have some true, determinate color. This view would seem to require that we break the symmetry between multiple appearances in favor of a single variant. A wide range of philosophical and non-philosophical writers have held that the symmetry can be broken by appealing to daylight viewing conditions—that the appearances of objects in daylight have a stronger, and perhaps unique, claim to reveal their true colors. In this note we argue that, whatever else its merits, this appeal to daylight is not a satisfactory answer to the problem posed by perceptual variation.

Highlights

  • Significant variations in the way objects appear across different viewing conditions pose a challenge to the view that they have some true, determinate color

  • This view would seem to require that we break the symmetry between multiple appearances in favor of a single variant

  • In this note we argue that, whatever else its merits, this appeal to daylight is not a satisfactory answer to the problem posed by perceptual variation

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Summary

Motivating daylight

The daylight maneuver ostensibly provides an answer to our initial question about what counts as the true cup’s true color. It does this by singling out one distinguished appearance from among the many variants as the one that verdically represents the color of the cup, thereby breaking the symmetry with which perception confronts us There are many other symmetry-breakings one could have chosen. Why think that this symmetry breaking is the one we should employ in answering the initial question? We consider several possible justifications, and argue that they are unsatisfactory

Daylight reveals colors
Daylight reveals the supervenience base
Daylight reveals color content
Further worries
Conclusion
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