The New Molyneux Problem — Brian Glenney (2024)

Reference

Glenney, B. (2024). “The New Molyneux Problem.” In A Pluralist’s Guide to Solving Molyneux’s Problem, pp. 118-138. New York: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003255512-6

Key Argument

Glenney presents a novel pluralist strategy for answering Molyneux’s 300+-year-old question: would a person, born blind but given sight, identify a shape previously known only by touch?

Core Arguments

Problem with the traditional question

• We do not know what the problem is really about
• It is untestable because a Molyneux subject cannot be physically realized
• The question uses a simplistic taxonomy of “the blind” that groups significant individual differences into a singular ontology

Kinds of blindness that can co-occur

Ocular, cortical, and psychological blindness (confirmed by cognitive science research).

Proposed solution: Explanatory pluralism

• The answer to Molyneux’s problem depends on the domain of inquiry
• Possible answers include no, yes, and “no answer” depending on the explanatory level
• Draws on previously unheeded insights from animal crossmodal perception studies to retell a more complex story of perception

Approach

Interweaves historical scholarship with contemporary philosophy and empirical research on animal, infant, and adult human perception. Uses a levels-of-explanation framework to integrate different domains.

Connection to Bouba/Kiki

Glenney discusses Uznadze’s finding that the sound of nonsense words like “bouba” and “kiki” are commonly matched with visual round and sharp shapes respectively. Known as sound symbolism, the bouba/kiki connection is found in 95% of tens of thousands of participants. This crossmodal correspondence is presented as evidence relevant to Molyneux’s problem.

Key Terms

3D shape, crossmodal correspondences, sound symbolism, echolocation, Molyneux’s question, perceptual learning, supramodal representations, levels of explanation, intentional/physical/design stances. Notable figures: Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley, Dennett, Millikan, Matthen, Ferretti, Spence, Villey, Uznadze. Animal studies: dolphins, vervet monkeys, bees, chicks.

Author

Brian Glenney is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Norwich University. Focuses on Molyneux’s problem. Co-editor of Molyneux’s Question and the History of Philosophy (2020). Also a graffiti artist.