Defending Disjunctivism about Perception

Abstract

    This paper aims to defend McDowellʼs disjunctivism about perception from misunderstanding, to explain it in more detail, and to point out his own error. In section 1, I summarize disjunctivism and show that the common objection to it is based on a misunderstanding. Section 2 describes ideas that are useful in avoiding misunderstandings and then provides an argument for disjunctivism based on these ideas that are applicable not only to perceptual knowledge but to knowledge in general. In section 3, I explain how the content of section 2 is incompatible with McDowellʼs conception, and that McDowell misunderstands the nature of perception and thought. My conclusion is that perception is thinking.