Seeing Dark Things
The Philosophy of Shadows
Sorensen, Roy Professor of Philosophy, Dartmouth College
Print publication date: 2008 (this edition)
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: January 2008
Print ISBN-13: 978-0-19-532657-4
doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326574.003.0002
 

Roy Sorensen
An observer is viewing a double eclipse of the sun. Traveling east is the heavenly body Far. Traveling west and nearer to him is the smaller body Near. Near is close enough to exactly compensate for its smaller size with respect to shadow formation. Near and Far look the same size from his vantage point. When Near falls exactly under the shadow of Far, it is as if one of these heavenly bodies had disappeared. Does the observer see Near or Far? The chapter's thesis is that the causal theory of perception correctly favors Far.
Keywords: eclipse, causal theory
doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326574.003.0002
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Seeing Dark Things