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What are we doing when we perceive numbers?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 December 2021

Max Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, University of Bristol, Cotham House, Cotham Hill, BristolBS6 6JL, UK. max.jones@bristol.ac.uk; http://www.maxjonesphilosophy.com/
Karim Zahidi
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy and Moral Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2000Antwerpen, Belgium. karim.zahidi@uantwerpen.be; https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/staff/karim-zahidi/
Daniel D. Hutto
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW2522, Australia. ddhutto@uow.edu.au; https://scholars.uow.edu.au/display/daniel_d_hutto

Abstract

Clarke and Beck rightly contend that the number sense allows us to directly perceive number. However, they unnecessarily assume a representationalist approach and incur a heavy theoretical cost by invoking “modes of presentation.” We suggest that the relevant evidence is better explained by adopting a radical enactivist approach that avoids characterizing the approximate number system (ANS) as a system for representing number.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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