We develop an analysis of the notion of mental representation, in the domain of visual perception, from a Cognitive Science perspective. Emphasis is given on a Connectionist view, according to which mental representations are emergent properties of the interaction between brain-like systems and structured light in the environment. We suggest that such a notion of mental representation indicates a way out of an ancient dispute between Representationalism and Eliminativism regarding the existence of mental representation in the human perceptual system.We develop (...) an analysis of the notion of mental representation, in the domain of visual perception, from a Cognitive Science perspective. Emphasis is given on a Connectionist view, according to which mental representations are emergent properties of the interaction between brain-like systems and structured light in the environment. We suggest that such a notion of mental representation indicates a way out of an ancient dispute between Representationalism and Eliminativism regarding the existence of mental representation in the human perceptual system.Investigaremos, a partir da perspectiva da Ciência Cognitiva, a noção de representação mental, no domínio da percepção visual humana. Ênfase é dada ao paradigma Conexionista, ou de Redes Neurais, de acordo com o qual tais representações mentais são descritas como estruturas emergentes da interação entre sistemas de processamento de informação que se auto-organizam - tais como o cérebro - e a luz estruturada no meio ambiente. Sugerimos que essa noção de representação mental indica uma solução para uma antiga polêmica, entre Representacionalistas e Eliminativistas, acerca da existência de representações mentais no sistema perceptual humano. (shrink)