Overview
Write a clear, concise and informative response to EACH of the following questions. Your response to each question should be a maximum of 200 words.
(4) Suppose I look out the window and see (or seem to see) a squirrel. Intuitively, perhaps, that experience is ‘telling me’ that there is a squirrel outside. In terms of this example, what is one way in which a sense datum theorist might explain how sensory experiences can have such representational contents? (Keep in mind that there are different versions of the sense datum theory!) What about the belief-acquisition view? In what sense does/doesn’t that theory accept the representational principle (R)? Explain.
(5) According to Armstrong, “perception is nothing but the acquiring of true or false beliefs concerning the current state of the organism’s body and environment.” In your own words, and using your own example(s), explain why Armstrong thinks this. Then, as clearly as you can, present what you regard as the strongest reason for thinking that it’s false that perception is just the acquiring of the relevant type of (true/false) beliefs.