"Color and Competence: A New View of Color Perception." In: Viejo, J.M., Sanjuán, M. (eds) Life and Mind: New Directions in the Philosophy of Biology and Cognitice Sciences. Interdisciplinary Evolution Research, vol 8. Springer, Cham. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30304-3_5

 

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Abstract: I have two main goals in this paper. My first goal is to sketch a new view of color perception. The core of the view can be expressed in the following two theses: (i) the overarching function of color vision is to enable and enhance the manifestation of relevant (species-specific) competences and (ii) color experiences are correct when they result from processing that directly and non-accidentally subserves the manifestation of such competences. My second goal is to show that the view can accommodate and account for a wide variety of color perceptual phenomena, including many problem cases. Importantly, the framework allows us to differentiate between two kinds of good cases of color perception: ideal cases where the demands of the relevant competences converge and non-ideal cases where the demands of the relevant competences diverge and clash.