Philosophy in the Library: Susanna Siegel on The Rationality of Perception

Different people see the world differently. That much is a truism. But how can we adjudicate these sorts of perceptual disagreements between people? We think that beliefs can be rational or irrational, but can perception itself be rational or irrational? And if so, how can we tell? Susanna Siegel (Edgar Pierce Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University, author of The Rationality of Perception) joins BPL Presents and Brooklyn Public Philosophers to share her work on these questions.

Professor Siegel tackles the following misconception: Traditional concepts of mind view reasoning as rational or irrational, but perception cannot be. Perception is simply a source of new information, and cannot be assessed for rationality. In her book The Rationality of Perception, Susanna Siegel argues that this conception is wrong in her. Drawing on examples involving racism, emotion, self-defense law, and scientific theories, The Rationality of Perception makes the case that perception itself can be rational or irrational.