Experience and time
We are no less directly acquainted with the temporal structure of the world than with its spatial structure. We hear one word succeeding another; feel two taps as simultaneous; or see the glow of a firework persisting, before it finally fizzles and fades. However, time is special, for we not only experience temporal properties; experience itself is structured in time. Part One articulates a natural framework for thinking about experience in time. I claim (i) that experience in its experiential aspect has a realistically conceived temporal structure; (ii) that our judgements about that structure always go via judgements about the temporal structure of the apparent objects of perception; and (iii) that a subject undergoing perceptual experience of a given experiential kind is always in a position to know that they are undergoing experience of that kind simply in virtue of so undergoing. On this basis, I argue that the temporal structure of experience cannot systematically come apart from the temporal structure of its objects. Part Two treats four puzzles relating to our experience of time. The first is Dennettâs notorious discussion of masking and apparent motion phenomena. The second is the traditional debate
Phillips, I. B.
Experience and time. We are no less directly acquainted with the temporal structure of the world than with its spatial structure. We hear one word succeeding another; feel two taps as simultaneous; or see the glow of a firework persisting, before it finally fizzles and fades. However, time is special, for we not only experience temporal properties; experience itself is structured in time. Part One articulates a natural framework for thinking about experience in time. I claim (i) that experience in its experiential aspect has a realistically conceived temporal structure; (ii) that our judgements about that structure always go via judgements about the temporal structure of the apparent objects of perception; and (iii) that a subject undergoing perceptual experience of a given experiential kind is always in a position to know that they are undergoing experience of that kind simply in virtue of so undergoing. On this basis, I argue that the temporal structure of experience cannot systematically come apart from the temporal structure of its objects. Part Two treats four puzzles relating to our experience of time. The first is Dennettâs notorious discussion of masking and apparent motion phenomena. The second is the traditional debate
experience time less directly acquainted temporal structure world spatial structure hear word succeed another feel tap simultaneous see finally fade however time special experience temporal property experience structured time part_one articulate natural framework think experience time claim experience experiential aspect conceived temporal structure judgement structure always via judgement temporal structure apparent object_perception iii subject undergo perceptual_experience give experiential kind always position know undergo experience kind simply virtue undergoing basis argue temporal structure experience systematically come apart temporal structure object part_two treat puzzle relate experience time first notorious discussion mask apparent motion phenomenon second traditional debate