Schedule (without links to readings)

Presupposition and Perception - Summer 2016

Background reading for the institute: Please familiarize yourself with Fodor’s notion of modularity by reading at least some of his short book The Modularity of Mind, as well as his debate with Churchland. We have also included a few works by the directors that you might find useful as background on perceptual epistemology. Susanna’s book The Rationality of Perception treats a range of topics and you are welcome to read any part of the manuscript, parts of which will be discussed in weeks 2 and 4.

Links to these works , as well as most of the other reading, are below, with the exception of the books. The books include the three novels that will be discussed in Week 4, and Fodor’s book. 

 J. Fodor, The Modularity of Mind, J. Fodor, “Observation Reconsidered”., P. Churchland, “Perceptual Plasticity and Theoretical Neutrality”. 

N. Silins, “Cognitive Penetration and the Epistemology of Perception”, Siegel and Silins, “The Epistemology of Perception” S. Siegel, The Rationality of Perception (forthcoming, 2017). [coming soon]

Schedule   

Please note that we have two venues: Stimson 206 on some days, and Physical Sciences Building 401 on other days. 

Sunday 6/26 - 4pm-6pm Reception at Nico Silins’ house in downtown Ithaca, 207 Willow Ave (parallel to Cascadilla Creek and N. Cayuga St).

Week 1

Background reading for Week 1: N. Shea, "Distinguishing top-down from bottom-up effects",  Robert Audi and Jonathan Dancy, "Moral Perception and Moral Knowledge"

Monday 6/27 - room: Stimson 206

[8:30 am – 10:00 am. Ardoin-Fields: See Dorothy for paperwork in 216 Goldwin Smith Hall]

10:00 am – 11:15 am Introductions + Directors Overview. Reading: -- S. Siegel and A. Byrne, "Rich or Thin?"

11:30 am – 1:30 - Faculty visitor: Fiona Macpherson. “Defining Cognitive Penetration and What Evidence there is that it Occurs” Readings:  -- F. Macpherson, “Cognitive Penetration of Colour Experience: Rethinking the Issue in Light of an Indirect Mechanism” ,    ---Sections 1, 2, and 6 of: Z. Pylyshyn, “Is Vision Continuous with Cognition? The Case for Cognitive Impenetrability of Early Vision”, --D. Levin and M. Banaji, “Distortions in the Perceived Lightness of Faces: The Role of Race Categories”, ---C. Firestone and B. Scholl, “Cognition does not affect Perception: Evaluating the Evidence for ‘Top-Down’ Effects”

 [1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Lunch. Granby-Pruitt: See Dorothy in 216 Goldwin Smith Hall]

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Becko Copenhaver, “Thomas Reid on Aesthetic, Moral, and Perception”: Readings (recommended): R. Copenhaver, “Thomas Reid on Aesthetic Perception”, R. Copenhaver, “Reid on the Moral Sense”, R. Copenhaver, “Thomas Reid on Acquired Perception”

Tuesday 6/28- Stimson 206

8:30-10am: Quilty-Dunn-Woomer: see Dorothy in 216 Goldwin Smith Hall]

10:00 am – 12:00 pm Faculty visitor: Jessica Moss, “Character and Perception in Aristotle” Readings: J. Moss, Aristotle on the Apparent Good, Chapter 2, 4, and 5, --J. McDowell, "Virtue and Reason",   --Aristotle, On Sleep and Dreams, chapter 2

12:15 pm – 1:15 pm Eve Rabinoff, “The Experience of Goodness: Pleasure and Perception of the Good in Aristotle’s Philosophy” Readings (recommended): --Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics VII.11-1; X.1-5 , --Aristotle, De Anima II.5-6, 12; III.2

2:30 pm- 3:30 pm Rosemary Twomey, “Animal Experience in Aristotle”  Reading (recommended): Aristotle, Posterior Analytics, B19.

Wednesday 6/29 **venue change**Physical Sciences Building 401

10:00 am – 12:00 pm Faculty visitor: Jonathan Dancy, “The Perception of Value” Readings: --J. Dancy, "Moral Perception", --J. Dancy, "McDowell, Williams, and Intuitionism" , --J. Dancy, "Intuition and Emotion". Recommended: S. Siegel, "Affordances and the Contents of Perception"

12:15 pm -1:15 pm Preston Werner, “A Posteriori Ethical Intuitionism and the Problem of Cognitive Penetrability” Readings (recommended): --P. Werner, "A Posteriori Ethical Intuitionism and the Problem of Cognitive Penetrability", --R. Cowan, "Cognitive Penetrability and Ethical Perception"

2:30 pm- 3:30 pm Kevin Connolly, “Does Perceptual Learning Really Occur?” Reading (recommended): K. Connolly, "How to Understand Perceptual Learning"

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Clifton Granby, “More than 'Just' Perceptions: Thoughts on the Virtue of Critical Openness”  Readings (recommended): --M. Fricker, "Epistemic Injustice and a Role for Virtue in the Politics of Knowing", --J. Medina, "Hermeneutical Injustice and Polyphonic Contextualism: Social Silences and Shared Hermeneutical Responsibilities"

 Thursday 6/30 - Stimson 206

10:00 am-11:00 am Faculty visitor: Michael Brownstein, Tutorial on Implicit Bias

11:15 am-12:15 pm Michael Brownstein, “Implicit Bias: Perception and Change” -  Readings: M. Brownstein, “Implicit Bias”. Recommended: T. Gschwendner et al., "Differential Stability", -- A. Hahn et al., "Awareness of Implicit Attitudes", --G. Moskowitz et al., "On Race and Time"

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm Gabby Johnson, “Implicit Bias as a Counterexample to the View that Central Cognition is Consciously Accessible”  Readings (Recommended): --J. Searle, excerpt from The Rediscovery of the Mind, -- Z. Pylyshyn, excerpt from Things and Places: How the Mind Connects with the World

2:30 pm- 3:30 pm Erin Beeghly, “Stereotyping and the Wrong of Failing to Treat Persons as Individuals”  Readings (recommended): E. Beeghly, "Stereotyping and the Wrong of Failing to Treat Persons as Individuals"

Friday 7/1 – Roundtable for Week 1 - Physical Sciences Building 401

10-11am – Part 1 , 11:15-12:15 – Part 2

Saturday 7/2 - Wine Tasting at Americana Vineyard, and hike/swim at Taughannock Park

Week 2 Background reading:--S. Siegel, "Cognitive Penetrability and Perceptual Justification" , ---M. Huemer, “Compassionate Phenomenal Conservatism” , --M. Rescorla, "Bayesian Perceptual Psychology"

July 4th  -- Picnic/BBQ at Stewart Park

Tuesday 7/5 Physical Sciences Building 401

10:00 am- 10:30 am: Nico Silins, Tutorial epistemology

10:45 am-12:45 pm:  Susanna Siegel, “Epistemology of Cognitive Penetration”    Readings: --S. Siegel, Preface and Chapter 1 of The Rationality of Perception,  --M. McGrath, "Phenomenal Conservatism and the Bad Basis Counterexamples". Recommended: Ghijsen, “The Real Epistemic Problem of Cognitive Penetration” -- S. Siegel, Chapter 5 of The Rationality of Perception.

2:00pm - 3:00 pm Keota Fields, “Top-Down Effects and Epistemic Responsibility”  Readings (recommended):--R. Feldman, “Voluntary belief and epistemic evaluation”, --R. Feldman, “The Ethics of Belief”, --R. Feldman, “Epistemic Obligations”

3:15 pm - 4:15 pm Cat Prueitt, “Attention and Exclusion” Readings (recommended): --A. Allport “Attention and Integration” ,  --J. Dunne, “Key Features of Dharmakirti’s Apoha Theory”, --M. MacKenzie, “Enacting Selves, Enacting Worlds: On the Buddhist Theory of Karma”

 Wednesday 7/6  -- Physical Sciences Building 401

10:00 am-12:00 pm Faculty visitor: Anil Gupta, “Appearances and Their Role in Cognition” Readings: A. Gupta, “Appearances and their Role in Cognition”

12:15 pm -1:15pm Jake Quilty-Dunn, “Representational Format and the Perception/Cognition Border” Readings (recommended):--J. Quilty-Dunn, “Iconic Representation”, --J. Fodor, “Revenge of the Given”

2:30 pm -4:30 pm Faculty visitor: Eric Mandelbaum, “Seeing and Conceptualizing: Modularity and the Shallow Contents of Perception” Reading: E. Mandelbaum, "Seeing and Conceptualizing: Modularity and the Shallow Contents of Perception"

Thursday 7/7 **venue change** Stimson 206

9:30 am-11:00 am – Jona Vance, Tutorial on Bayesianism in psychology and its challenges, and "Optimal Illusions and Bayesian Brains"

11:15 am -1:15pm – Faculty visitor: Anya Farennikova, “Bayesianism and the Distinction Between  Perception and Belief”

 Friday 7/8 - Roundtable for Week 2  **venue change** Physical Sciences Building 401

10:00 -11:00 am  -  Part 1, 11:15am-12:15 pm – Part 2

3 pm - Wine tasting and tour at Swedish Hill winery (with a Donkey!)

Saturday 7/9- Horseback riding and berry picking

Week 3 

Background reading: I. Murdoch,  "Vision and Choice in Morality", --R. Langton and L. Ashwell, "Slaves to Fashion", --Adams and Salter, "A Critical Race Psychology is not yet born"

Monday 7/11 **venue change** Stimson 206

10am-12:00 pm: Faculty visitor: Jason Stanley, Stereotypes, Perception and Education. Readings: Lippman, Public Opinion, Intro and Part VI sections 1 and 2, Woodson, The Mis-Education of the Negro. Recommended: Collins, "Mammies, Matriarchs, and Other Controlling Images"

12:15 pm-1:15 pm: Bryce Huebner, “Mechanical Processes and Normative Cognition” Readings (recommended): B. Huebner, "Implicit bias, reinforcement learning, and scaffolded moral cognition"

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Nathifa Greene, “Stereotype Threat”. Readings (recommended): F. Fanon, excerpt from Black Skin, White Masks, --S. Gallagher, "Body Image and Body Schema: A Conceptual Clarification", --"What is Stereotype Threat?"

4:00 pm Optional lecture by W.J.T. Mitchell on "Method, Madness, Montage", hosted by Cornell's School of Criticism and Theory, in Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin-Smith Hall 132

Info: http://sct.cornell.edu/about/seminars-mini-seminars/

Tuesday 7/12 - Physical Sciences Building 401

10:00 am -12:00 pm Faculty visitor: Phia Salter -  “The Racial Politics of Knowledge and Racism Perception” Readings: --P. Salter et al., “Who Needs Individual Responsibility? Audience Race and Message Content Influence Third-Party Evaluations
of Political Messages”, --G. Adams et al., "Mind in Context"

12:15 pm - 1:15 pm Krista Hyde, “Some Virtue Epistemic Reasons to Accept the Claims of Standpoint Theorists"

2:30pm - 3:30 pm Guest speaker on Bayesianism – “Perceptual Experiences as Hypotheses” Reading (recommended): -- R. L. Gregory, "Perceptions as Hypotheses"

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Maria Brincker, “Sensorimotor 'Priors' and Autism” Readings (recommended): --M. Brincker and E. Torres, “Noises from the Periphery of Autism”, --E. Von Holst & H. Mittelstaedt "The principle of Reafference: Interactions Between the Central Nervous System and the Peripheral Organs", --J. Dewey “The Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology”

Wednesday 7/13- Stimson 206

10:00 am – 12:00 pm Faculty visitor: Kristie Dotson, “Epistemic Oppression”   Reading: K. Dotson, “Conceptualizing Epistemic Oppression”

12:15 pm -1:15 pm Jenni Mueller, “Producing Colorblindness: Everyday Mechanisms of White Ignorance”  Readings (recommended):  --C. Mills, “White Ignorance” , -- J. Mueller, "Producing Colorblindness: Everyday Mechanisms of White Ignorance"

2:30 pm -3:30 pm Susanna Siegel, on the Mind of the World Reading (recommended): Chapter 10 of The Rationality of Perception

3:30pm - 4:30 pm Lauren Woomer, “Criminalization as a Driver of Affective and Epistemic Insensitivity”

Thursday 7/14  - Stimson 206

10:00 am -12:00 pm Faculty visitor: Rae Langton, “Evaluative Perception and the Plasticity of Mind” - Reading: R. Langton, “Moral Realism and the Plasticity of Mind” (handout)

12:15 pm -1:15 pm Lauren Ashwell, “Projection and Objectification” Reading (recommended): R. Langton, “Projection and Objectification”

Friday 7/15 - Roundtable for Week 3 - Physical Sciences Building 401

10:00 am -11:00 am – Part 1, 11:15 am -12:15 pm – Part 2

Horseback riding

Sunday 7/17

3 pm Picnic at Filmore Glen State Park, Moravia

Week 4 Background reading:  K. Walton, "Categories of Art"

…and three novels: V. Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway , I. McEwan, Saturday, T. McCarthy, Remainder

Monday 7/18 - Physical Sciences Building 401 

10:00 am-11:00 am Nico Silins, Tutorial on Aesthetic Perception. Reading: Stokes, “Cognitive Penetration and Perception of Art”

11:15 am -1:15 pm Faculty visitor: Winnie Wong, “The Global Supply Chain of Readymade Dreams” Readings: W. Wong, Van Gogh on Demand, Chapters 1 and 4  Optional: Two This American Life podcast episodes with Mike Daisey: The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, and the retraction of that episode, entitled Retraction

2:30 pm -3 :30 pm Anna Lee, “The Problem of an Amateur Aesthetic” Readings (recommended): --P. Bourdieu, Photography: A Middle-brow Art, -- R. Barthes, Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography

3:30 pm - 4:30 Zoe Jenkin, “Cognitive Penetration of the Perception of Art: Epistemic and Aesthetic Divergence”

Tuesday 7/19 - Physical Sciences Building 401

10:00 am –12:00 am Faculty visitor: Jonathan Kramnick, “Perception in Contemporary Fiction”  Readings:  T. McCarthy, Remainder, I. McEwan, Saturday

1:15 pm -2:15 pm Paul Ardoin, "Perception Sickness in Modernist Literature" Readings (recommended):  H. Bergson, The Creative Mind, Chapter 5 section 1 (pp. 152-166), V. Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway

2:15 pm - 2:45 pm Flavor Tripping

2:45 pm -3:45 pm Katherine Tullmann, “(Dis)interested Seeing” Readings (recommended):  G. Dickie, “The Myth of the Aesthetic Attitude”

 Wednesday 7/20 - Physical Sciences Building 401 

10:00 am – 12:00 pm Faculty visitor: Ernest Sosa, “Epistemic Virtue” Reading E. Sosa, "Knowledge in Action", "Intuitions: Their Nature and Probative Value"

12:15 pm - 1:15 pm Skype Session with Matt McGrath

1:30-3pm: Roundtable for Week 4

Thursday 7/21 **last venue change** Stimson 206

10am-12:00 pm Final discussion and wrap-up

Afternoon + evening – party, location TBA.