Multimodal theories of recognition and their relation to Molyneux's question

Molyneux’s Question Within and Across the Senses

“…For earlier discussion of this 'common-coding' proposal and its relation to Molyneux's question, seeAltieri 2015, Schwenkler 2015 …”

Response: Commentary: Multimodal theories of recognition and their relation to Molyneux's question

“…Akin to MQ, I previously argued that common code theory predicts that newly sighted individuals should experience the McGurk effect—perhaps at a rate similar to typically developing adults (cf. Altieri, 2015 ; The canonical effect occurs when auditory/ba/is presented with a speaker's face articulating “ga”; listeners, typically hear a fused consonant such as “da” rather than/ba/).…”

“…Conversely, differences would support either modular (cf. Altieri, 2015 ) or possibly empiricist theories.…”

“…When William Molyneux posed his famous thought experiment to the philosopher, John Locke, it was framed to address the transfer of sensory information between touch and vision. Molyneux's Question (MQ), appearing in Altieri ( 2015 ) and also Schwenkler ( 2015 ), was stated by Locke: “Suppose a man born blind, and now adult, and taught by his touch to distinguish between a Cube, and a Sphere…, so as to tell, when he felt one and t'other, which is the Cube, which the Sphere. Suppose then the Cube and Sphere placed on a Table, and the Blind Man to be made to see.…”

Commentary: “Multimodal Theories of Recognition and Their Relation to Molyneux's Question”

“…Altieri ( 2015 ) discusses the relevance of experimental work on cross-modal recognition to a question raised by the Irish politician William Molyneux and discussed in John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding : “Suppose a man born blind, and now adult, and taught by his touch to distinguish between a Cube, and a Sphere …, so as to tell, when he felt one and t'other, which is the Cube, which the Sphere. Suppose then the Cube and Sphere placed on a Table, and the Blind Man to be made to see.…”