True Colours, False Theories

Australasian Journal of Philosophy 81 (1):41-50 (2003)
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Abstract

The question of the constituting nature of colour is largely open. The old dispute between colour objectivism and colour subjectivism is still relevant. The former has defended itself against accusations of not being able to explain colour structures, while the latter view has received criticism for not being able to provide a plausible theory of the location of colours. By weakening the notion of physical categories, making some of them perceiver-depended, colour objectivists have managed to overcome at least some of the previous accusations. However, the arguments based on Crane’s and Piantanida’s findings of the existence of binary colours like greenish-red and yellowish-blue, indicate the inadequacy of colour objectivism. Consequently, we have colours but our theories of them are false.

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Valtteri Arstila
University of Turku

Citations of this work

What makes unique hues unique?Valtteri Arstila - 2018 - Synthese 195 (5):1849-1872.

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References found in this work

Sensory Qualities.Austen Clark - 1992 - Oxford, GB: Clarendon Press.
Sensory Qualities.Austen Clark - 1993 - Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press UK.
Naming the colours.David Lewis - 1997 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 75 (3):325-42.
Sensory Qualities.Evan Thompson - 1995 - Philosophical Review 104 (1):130.

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