Department of Philosophy

Perceiving Holes - without perceiving what they are holes in

Abstract:

One can see a hole by seeing what it is a hole in (the hole’s “host”). Perhaps one can also see a hole by seeing what fills the hole (the hole’s “guest”). That has been generally assumed to exhaust all the ways of seeing a hole. But consider a pair of identical rings, the first placed exactly atop the second. Looking directly down, only the first ring is visible. Despite concealment of the second ring, one can still see its hole.  Thus, one sees a hole by seeing another hole’s host. Ditto for touch. One can feel a hole without feeling its host. A surrogate host suffices. Variations of this double ring scenario have general implications for the perception of absences and the metaphysics of absences.

 

Prior to joining the UT Austin faculty in 2019, Roy Sorensen taught at University of Delaware, New York University, Dartmouth College, and Washington University in St. Louis. From 2020 to 2024, he is a Professorial Fellow at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Professor Sorensen has published over two hundred articles on topics ranging from the aesthetics of mirror imagery to the metaphysics of shadows. He is the author of eight books: Nothing: A Philosophical History (2022), A Cabinet of Philosophical Curiosities (2016), Seeing Dark Things (2008), A Brief History of the Paradox (2003), Vagueness and Contradiction (2001), Pseudo-Problems (1993), Thought Experiments (1992), and Blindspots (1988). Roy Sorensen plans to
co-author a book with Ian Proops entitled Kant Lied.

 Reception to follow in the IMU Federal Room. If you prefer to see this lecture via Zoom, you can register here.