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The case for characterising type-2 blindsight as a genuinely visual phenomenon
1The Rotman Institute, Western University, Stevenson Hall 2150G, London, Ontario N6A 5B8, Canada.
Consciousness and Cognition
|December 3, 2014
Summary
Type-2 blindsight involves an abnormal, degraded visual awareness, not a non-visual or cognitive one. This research re-evaluates the nature of awareness in blindsight conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Type-2 blindsight is commonly described as a non-visual awareness.
- Existing theories propose type-2 awareness is either non-visual or cognitive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the prevailing characterizations of type-2 awareness in blindsight.
- To determine if type-2 awareness is fundamentally non-visual or cognitive.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical analysis of existing literature on blindsight.
- Evaluation of type-2 awareness against established criteria for visual perception.
- Assessment of theoretical accounts' ability to explain empirical findings.
Main Results:
- Type-2 awareness does not align with standard definitions of non-visual awareness.
- The cognitive account of type-2 awareness fails to explain key aspects of the phenomenon.
- Type-2 awareness meets criteria suggestive of a visual basis.
Conclusions:
- Type-2 awareness in blindsight is best understood as a form of visual awareness.
- This visual awareness is abnormal and degraded due to the condition.
- The findings challenge standard accounts and support a visual characterization.
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