Abstract Historians of philosophy widely concur that Galileo Galilei (re)introduced the metaphysical dichotomy of primary and secondary properties into philosophical discourse. However, his conceptual distinction appeared muddled, resulting in frequent misinterpretations or disregard over time. This paper aims to demonstrate that the apparent vagueness of the dichotomy stems from a common misunderstanding shaped by the subsequent distinction between two kinds of properties, primary and secondary. Accordingly, the central argument advanced here is that Galileo did not intend to differentiate between two kinds of properties inherent in external things. Instead, he sought to distinguish between the perception of spatial properties and the concurrent internal bodily sensations evoked by the mechanical impacts of external objects. Focusing on his isolation of an aspect of sensory experience, namely sensible qualities, it is suggested that Galileo recognised the phenomenal aspect of experience and thereby contributed to the early modern development of the concept of perceptual consciousness.

ABSTRACT Standard accounts of object perception force us to choose between the unity of objects and the particularity of objects. The unity of objects is explained in terms of general, repeatable representations and a mental act of predication that binds those representations. The particularity of objects is explained in terms of particular, unrepeatable representations and a pre-predicational mode of perceptual consciousness. Generalists argue that particularists cannot explain the structure of perception while particularists argue that generalism makes perception indifferent to the objects themselves. Here, I show how Susanna Schellenberg’s capacitism can capture the motivations for both views. According to capacitism, perception is the result of exercises of perceptual capacities to discriminate concrete perceptual particulars. The trouble is that Schellenberg’s capacitism struggles to explain the structure of object perception without resorting to a further contribution from non-perceptual capacities. I propose that these problems can be avoided by positing a capacity to discriminate unity. Successful exercises of this capacity result in a representation of an object bound with its properties and make us directly aware of an object’s unity.

Abstract The sense of agency is the experience of predicting, initiating, or controlling actions. In this paper, I provide a novel account of the sense of agency that appears in perceptual consciousness. I follow theorists such as Bayne and Prinz in suggesting that the perceptual sense of agency (PSoA) is underpinned by self-monitoring processes. The self-monitoring mechanism compares sensory predictions, made on the basis of motor commands, with sensory feedback. This comparison process distinguishes self-caused from other-caused perceptual changes. I argue for a view where the PSoA is not explained by certain contents represented in perceptual experience. Rather, my account models the PSoA as a type of intentional mode that perceivers bear to contents. After defending this view, I respond to objections and contrast my account with others in the literature.

The scope of unconscious processing has long been, and still remains, a hotly debated issue. This is driven in part by the current diversity of methods to manipulate and measure perceptual consciousness. Here, we provide ten recommendations and nine outstanding issues about designing experimental paradigms, analyzing data, and reporting the results of studies on unconscious processing. These were formed through dialogue among a group of researchers representing a range of theoretical backgrounds. We acknowledge that some of these recommendations naturally do not align with some existing approaches and are likely to change following theoretical and methodological development. Nevertheless, we hold that at this stage of the field they are instrumental in evoking a much-needed discussion about the norms of studying unconscious processes and helping researchers make more informed decisions when designing experiments. In the long run, we aim for this paper and future discussions around the outstanding issues to lead to a more convergent corpus of knowledge about the extent - and limits - of unconscious processing.

Abstract While both spatial and temporal perception have been extensively discussed by philosophers, in many works these aspects are discussed separately, in the context of distinct philosophical questions. The goal of this paper is to explore the still underdeveloped philosophical field of connections between spatial and temporal perception. In particular, the paper focuses on three major theories regarding the temporal structure of perceptual experiences: the snapshot theory, extensionalism, and retentionalism. It is argued that different theories of temporal experiential structure impose distinct constraints on perceptual abilities for spatial representation. Furthermore, this paper shows how these results are relevant for several contemporary debates within the philosophy of perception concerning the spatiality of nonvisual modalities, high-level properties perception, and the temporal unity of perceptual consciousness.

Subcortical brain structures such as the subthalamic nucleus or the thalamus are involved in regulating motor and cognitive behavior. However, their contribution to perceptual consciousness remains unclear, due to the inherent difficulties of recording subcortical neuronal activity in humans. Here, we asked neurological patients undergoing surgery for deep brain stimulation to detect weak vibrotactile stimuli applied on their hand while recording single neuron activity from the tip of a microelectrode. We isolated putative single neurons in the subthalamic nucleus and thalamus. A significant proportion of neurons modulated their activity while participants were expecting a stimulus. We found that the firing rate of 23% of these neurons differed between detected and undetected stimuli. Our results provide direct neurophysiological evidence of the involvement of the subthalamic nucleus and the thalamus for the detection of vibrotactile stimuli, thereby calling for a less cortico-centric view of the neural correlates of consciousness.

Subcortical brain structures such as the subthalamic nucleus or the thalamus are involved in regulating motor and cognitive behavior. However, their contribution to perceptual consciousness remains unclear, due to the inherent difficulties of recording subcortical neuronal activity in humans. Here, we asked neurological patients undergoing surgery for deep brain stimulation to detect weak vibrotactile stimuli applied on their hand while recording single neuron activity from the tip of a microelectrode. We isolated putative single neurons in the subthalamic nucleus and thalamus. A significant proportion of neurons modulated their activity while participants were expecting a stimulus. We found that the firing rate of 23% of these neurons differed between detected and undetected stimuli. Our results provide direct neurophysiological evidence of the involvement of the subthalamic nucleus and the thalamus for the detection of vibrotactile stimuli, thereby calling for a less cortico-centric view of the neural correlates of consciousness.

Much of high-level cognition appears inaccessible to consciousness. Countless studies have revealed mental processes—like those underlying our choices, beliefs, judgments, intuitions, etc.—which people do not notice or report, and these findings have had a widespread influence on the theory and application of psychological science. However, the interpretation of these findings is uncertain. Making an analogy to perceptual consciousness research, I argue that much of the unconsciousness of high-level cognition is plausibly due to internal inattentional blindness: missing an otherwise consciously-accessible internal event because your attention was elsewhere. In other words, rather than being structurally unconscious, many higher mental processes might instead be “preconscious”, and would become conscious if a person attended to them. I synthesize existing indirect evidence for this claim, argue that it is a foundational and largely untested assumption in many applied interventions (such as therapy and mindfulness practices), and suggest that, with careful experimentation, it could form the basis for a long-sought-after science of introspection training.

The study of the cultural perception of countries and peoples has been gaining momentum in history, literary studies, ethnopsychology, journalism, imagology and other fields of scientific knowledge over the past decade. Cultural perception is constructed by ethnic, religious, political, ideological and artistic frames of perceptual consciousness. In connection with the development of Russia–China relations, the topic of rethinking Oriental studies in line with the framework of the studies of philosophical and cultural problems is especially relevant today. The novelty of the research consists in updating the data already available in scientific publications on the cultural perception of Russia and Russians by the Chinese. This article examines the cultural perception of Russia and Russians in China based on the results of polls conducted by the authors in 2021–2022. The poll contained open-ended questions concerning associations with Russia, symbols of the country, names of famous Russians, the Russian character, and Russian cities. The data obtained helped to identify and confirm certain historical patterns and stereotypes concerning the perception of the Russian character. The analysis of the poll results showed that Chinese people’s perceptions of Russia depend largely on their personal experience with Russians. The image of Russia in the minds of Chinese people who have not been to the country is closely associated with that of the Soviet Union; they have a vague idea of contemporary life in Russia but are quite familiar with the works of Russian classics writers and composers. Chinese people who are permanent residents in the Russian Federation are more aware of both the classical and contemporary culture of the Russians. In addition, the personality of Russian President Vladimir Putin plays an important role in shaping the current perception of Russia in China.

The neural activity of auditory conscious perception.

The ways of Catherine II's influence on the reader, stated through the prism of the author's strategies and tactics that characterize the consciousness of the writer and her focus on forming the model of Enlightenment based on gallant discourse is the subject of the article. The play "Oh, time!", being the first "noble" comedy, becomes the ideological message of the empress addressed to her subjects in order to introduce them to the Enlightenment. Comedy sets the parameters of what to pay attention to, what vices are condemned and how to perceive the reign of Catherine II. The communicative approach, expressed in the study of the author's interaction with the reader, is complemented by a comparative historical, cultural-historical and a method of holistic analysis of the work of art. The research methodology is based on the work of V. V. Sipovsky, P. N. Berkov, Y. Stennik, O. B. Lebedeva, A. Evstratov, Carrer d'Encausse E., K. Sharfa O. I. Eliseeva. The novelty of the research is determined by a new approach to the study of the comedy of Catherine II, which consists in a systematization of author's strategies and tactics, the consideration of which allows us to imagine the regulation of the domestic literary process of the second half of the XVIII century, to see the features of Catherine's Enlightenment, as well as to trace the birth of the author's own thinking, departing from the previous rhetorical system. During the study, three author's strategies were identified: ridiculing the vices of the older generation, supporting the younger generation and approving the model of Catherine's Enlightenment, each of which is implemented through three author's tactics: using speaking surnames within the framework of a traditional comedy of manners, pointing out the discrepancy between words and deeds, condemning domestic tyranny, introducing helper characters, liberation from Domostroi model of behavior, the need for young girls to understand their hearts, ridicule of the previous unenlightened rule, approval of the model of gallant behavior in the family-state, mythologization of their own rule. This not only characterizes the author's consciousness as enlightening, but allows to isolate the image that the writer wants to assert in the perceiving consciousness of the viewer and present the formation of the comedy genre "from within" as the interaction of the author and the reader.

ABSTRACT In this paper, we propose an account of how perceptual evidence might allow us to draw justified conclusions about the existence of composite objects. We call the thesis at issue PERCEPTUAL ADEQUACY, and argue that a specific, naïve realist picture of the phenomenal character of perception provides us with a straightforward way to defend it. The claim that we have empirical evidence for the existence of macroscopic composites cannot be propped up merely by the plausible claim, granted by many, that our perceptual experiences have composites-presenting phenomenology. Rather, a specific account of the nature of the phenomenology is needed so that it can provide the required evidence. We propose a way to accomplish this: one on which in the good cases it would be constituted by the presentation of the truth-makers of the relevant ontological claims. We argue, further, that this potential defence of a feasible empirically-informed approach to metaphysics is preferable to the best alternative, one based on an object-dependent version of intentionalism about perceptual consciousness.

Consciousness is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the brain. The simple and yet fundamental question, “How do we have subjective experience?” remains a matter of great debate among neuroscientists. These debates have generated some challenges for consciousness research, namely the hard problem—do normal scientific approaches work for consciousness— and the binding problem—how are sensory inputs experienced in a unified manner? Historically, consciousness has been studied by searching for the neural correlates of consciousness which are defined as the minimal brain areas jointly necessary for conscious experience. One of the most popular experimental paradigms used to investigate the neural correlates of consciousness is binocular rivalry. In binocular rivalry, separate images are simultaneously presented to each eye and perception vacillates between them, providing a way of determining which neural changes are due to shifts in perceptual consciousness rather than changes in stimuli. As the research progressed, however, scientists realized that finding correlates of consciousness was insufficient and that explanatory theories of consciousness were needed to make further progress. This review article aims to introduce the field of consciousness research by presenting some of the core challenges to the field: tracing the search for the neural correlates of consciousness through the lens of binocular rivalry, and exploring four popular theories of consciousness. These are higher-order theory, global neuronal workspace theory, integrated information theory, and predictive processing. It concludes with a glance at the future directions of research that aim to resolve the beguiling phenomenon of consciousness.

The experimental study of consciousness: Is psychology travelling back to the future?

Whether attention is a prerequisite of perceptual awareness or an independent and dissociable process remains a matter of debate. Importantly, understanding the relation between attention and awareness is probably not possible without taking into account the fact that both are heterogeneous and multifaceted mechanisms. Therefore, the present study tested the impact on visual awareness of two attentional mechanisms proposed by the Posner model: temporal alerting and spatio-temporal orienting. Specifically, we evaluated the effects of attention on the perceptual level, by measuring objective and subjective awareness of a threshold-level stimulus; and on the neural level, by investigating how attention affects two postulated event-related potential correlates of awareness. We found that alerting and orienting mechanisms additively facilitate perceptual consciousness, with activation of the latter resulting in the most vivid awareness. Furthermore, we found that late positivity is unlikely to constitute a neural correlate of consciousness as its amplitude was modulated by both attentional mechanisms, but early visual awareness negativity was independent of the alerting and orienting mechanisms. In conclusion, our study reveals a nuanced relationship between attention and awareness; moreover, by investigating the effect of the alerting mechanism, this study provides insights into the role of temporal attention in perceptual consciousness.

It has been proposed that visual awareness negativity (VAN), which is an early ERP component, constitutes a neural correlate of visual consciousness that is independent of perceptual and cognitive mechanisms. In the present study, we investigated whether VAN is indeed a specific marker of phenomenal awareness or rather reflects the involvement of attention. To this end, we reanalyzed data collected in a previously published EEG experiment in which awareness of visual stimuli and two aspects that define attentional involvement, namely, the inherent saliency and task relevance of a stimulus, were manipulated orthogonally. During the experimental procedure, participants (n = 41) were presented with images of faces that were backward-masked or unmasked, fearful or neutral, and defined as task-relevant targets or task-irrelevant distractors. Single-trial ERP analysis revealed that VAN was highly dependent on attentional manipulations in the early time window (140-200 msec), up to the point that the effect of awareness was not observed for attentionally irrelevant stimuli (i.e., neutral faces presented as distractors). In the late time window (200-350 msec), VAN was present in all attentional conditions, but its amplitude was significantly higher in response to fearful faces and task-relevant face images than in response to neutral ones and task-irrelevant ones, respectively. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the amplitude of VAN is highly dependent on both exogenous (stimulus saliency) and endogenous attention (task requirements). Our results challenge the view that VAN constitutes an attention-independent correlate of phenomenal awareness.

Aim. To trace the ways of the author’s interaction with the reader in the collection “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” by N. V. Gogol.Methodology. Narrational strategies of N. Gogol in “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” are identified from the standpoint of receptive aesthetics, their impact on the “perceiving consciousness” is also noted. The study is based on descriptive and systemic approaches to literary text.Results. It was established that Gogol, through the use of artistic framing techniques, “speech masks”, and authorial monologue, influences the reader’s perception of the text; the role of these techniques in shaping literary experience is also noted.Research implications. Studying this problem has allowed identifying authorial narrative techniques in the collection “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”. The obtained results may be useful for literary research dedicated to the role of the reader in the process of reception and interpretation of artistic works.

The detailed examination of poetic and critical heritage among the Arabs reveals that the positions of its pioneers were not limited to defining the cognitive nature that governs mental activity during the creative process alone. Rather, they also aimed primarily at questioning the ways of achieving aesthetic self-consciousness, highlighting the levels of their imaginative vision of things and phenomena, and elucidating the factors that contribute to the creation of poetic universes that differ from the perceptible and tangible material reality. Therefore, they did not stop at contemplating the relationship between sensory perception, mental representation, and creative output. Instead, they went beyond that to investigate the perceived forms and their essences, describing the mental and imaginative processes that govern creative action and enable it to convert perceptual consciousness into various linguistic representations and expressions. To illustrate this, the research will continue to examine the opinions of some ancient poets and their judgments that made their imaginative methods a moment for reflecting on the limits of creative experience and its expressive and pictorial possibilities. It will question how images of things, worlds, and their material manifestations were cast in poetic expressions and allusions, characterized by comparison, approximation, or differentiation in description, depiction, and formation. The study will also explore the opinions of some critics and rhetoricians distinguished by a particular reading that views Arabic poetry as an aesthetic universe that reproduces sensory aspects through psychological universes, mental worlds, and varied and diverse expressive structures, forms, and representations. Keywords: Theory, Universes, Perception, Mind, Creativity, Imagination, Criticism.

The object of research of this article is a novel by Mark Z. Danilevsky's "House of Leaves" in the context of Postmodernism. The subject of the study is the concept of a simulacrum, which appears in the novel "House of Leaves" as one of the funding components of the poetics of the work. The "House of Leaves" is considered from the position of postmodern sensitivity, in which Danilevsky deliberately blurs the boundaries between habitual space and hyperreality, real and unreal, fact and fiction. A similar effect is achieved through the simulacrum based on the novel – the short film "The Nevidson Film" – which was originally programmed by Danilevsky to expand into reality, to capture reality, that is, to limitless expansion of simulation through both material media (books) and the Internet. As a result of the proliferation of simulation within the work, the poetics of the novel text itself undergoes mutation, where genre mixing occurs, and mutually subordinate relations are established for the participants of author-reader communication due to the features of novel poetics. The text based on the simulacrum is absorbed by the simulation and eventually becomes a simulacrum due to the continuous formation and spread of the simulation. As a result, the language environment turns into a means of control, manipulation, subordination, both of the author and the recipient: the totality of simulation replaces reality and includes the perceiving consciousness in its own boundless becoming.

The study of cultural-perception of countries and peoples’ has been gaining momentum in history, literary studies, ethnopsychology, journalism, imagology and other fields of scientific knowledge over the past decade. The cultrual-perception is constructed by ethnic, religious, political, ideological and artistic frames of perceptual consciousness. In connection with the development of Russian-Chinese relations, the topic of rethinking Oriental studies in line with the framework of the studies of philosophical and cultural problems is especially relevant today. The novelty of the research consists in updating the data already available in scientific publications on the culturalperception of Russia and Russians by the Chinese. This article examines the cultural-perception of Russia and Russians in China based on the results of polls conducted by the authors in 2021–2022. The poll contained open-ended questions concerning associations with Russia, symbols of the country, names of famous Russians, the Russian character, and Russian cities. The data obtained helped to identify and confirm certain historical patterns and stereotypes concerning the perception of the Russian character. The analysis of the poll results showed that Chinese people’s perceptions of Russia depend largely on their personal experience with Russians. The Chinese who have not been to Russia have an image of our country closely associated with that of the Soviet Union; they have a vague idea of contemporary life in Russia but are quite familiar with the works of Russian classics writers and composers. The Chinese permanent residents of the Russian Federation are more aware of both the classical and contemporary culture of the Russians. In addition, the personality of Russian President Vladimir Putin plays an important role in shaping the current perception of Russia in China. Putin's personality plays an important role in shaping the current perception of Russia.