This article explores both the material and immaterial aspects of perception, explaining that perception is more than just a sensory response, but a complex experience that shapes the subject-object relationship. It explains philosophical positions on how perception shapes our existence and experience, and analyzes its essential nature through concrete examples.
In general, “perception” means knowing about things through the body’s sensory organs. When analyzing this perception, we are faced with two facts. First, the object and my body are in the material world. Second, my consciousness of the object is in a world other than the material world. In other words, I as a body belong to the same world as the object, while I as a consciousness belong to a different world than the object.
At this point, we realize that perception is a complex experience, not just a physical interaction with an object. Perception is more than just a physical phenomenon, and it leads us to a deeper exploration of our way of being. The process of perception is not simply a response to external stimuli, but involves a deep interaction between subject and object. This interaction shapes our perceptual system and how we understand the world. For example, we perceive not only the physical properties of objects, but also the emotional and psychological responses they evoke in us. This suggests that perception is not simply the collection of sensory data, but a complex, multi-layered process that is intimately connected to our lives.
Objectivist philosophy has two positions on this. Either it reduces everything, including consciousness, to matter and argues that consciousness is nothing but matter, or it argues for an essential difference between consciousness and matter by characterizing consciousness as an entity distinct from matter. According to the former, perception is understood as the material response of a subject to sensory stimuli from an object; according to the latter, perception is understood as the judgment of a subject, or consciousness, about the sensed object. Both understandings of perception presuppose the separation of subject and object. The subject and object are determined and existing prior to perception.
While each of these positions has its own logical basis, neither fully explains the essential nature of perception. Perception is not simply limited to material responses or conscious judgments; it is an important vehicle for exploring fundamental aspects of our existence and experience. In the process of perception, we go beyond mere information gathering to affirm our existence and redefine our relationship to the world. For example, when we look at a beautiful work of art, we don’t just perceive its colors and shapes, we experience the emotions and meanings it conveys to us. This shows that perception is not just a sensory response, but is connected to a deep emotional experience.
However, perception is an experience of entanglement that precedes the existence of subject and object as separate entities. For example, when I touch someone’s hand, I am touching their hand, but at the same time my hand is being touched by someone else. In the moment of entanglement, when what is sensed is simultaneously sensed, I make a clear distinction between myself and the object. It is only through the entanglement of perception that the subject and object can be separated. In other words, subject and object are only determined after perception has occurred. Therefore, perception and sensation are indistinguishable from each other.
Perception is not a material reaction or a conscious judgment, but an experience of the body. Perception is caused by my body, and everything that causes perception is my body. These bodily experiences play an important role in the process of perception, and they allow us to gain a deeper understanding of our existence and our relationship to the world. For example, when we put our hand in cold water, we don’t just feel the temperature of the water, we experience the sensory experience and response that the coldness has on us. This shows that perception is not just the reception of physical stimuli, but a complex experience that involves our bodies and senses.
The process of perception is also an important basis for forming our perceptions and judgments. Through perception, we go beyond simply recognizing objects to understanding and interpreting our own existence and the world. This shows that perception is not just a sensory experience, but an important way of understanding our existence and the world. Perception happens constantly in our daily lives, and through it we constantly experience interactions with the world around us. For example, when we wake up in the morning and look out the window, we don’t just see a landscape, we experience the feelings and meanings it gives us. This process of perception enriches our lives and experiences.
In conclusion, perception is more than just a sensory experience; it is an important medium for understanding our existence and the world. Through the process of perception, we affirm our existence and redefine our relationship to the world. This shows that perception is an important foundation that shapes our existence and experience. Through the process of perception, we go beyond simply recognizing objects, and come to understand and interpret our existence and the world. In this sense, perception is an important topic to explore in depth to understand our existence and experience.
