‘Visual Differentiation and Spatial Perception’

Craig French, University College London

This essay is about object seeing and spatial perception and why visual differentiation isn't a condition on object seeing, though spatial perception is. Cassam argues for the thesis that the perception of space and/or spatial features is necessary for objective experience, and hence seeing material objects. I consider how Cassam understands the thesis and why he takes it to be true. I argue that Cassam’s explanation of why spatial perception is necessary for object seeing requires that an object is seen only if it is visually differentiated from its immediate environment. But object seeing, I argue, doesn’t require visual differentiation. Still, I take the thesis that spatial perception is necessary for object seeing to be true. I sketch my understanding of the thesis and explanation of why it is true in the conclusion.

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