One of the most persistent controversies of modern science has dealt with human visual perception. It erupted in Germany during the 1860s as a dispute between physiologists Hermann von Helmholtz, Ewald Hering and their schools. Well into the 20th century, these groups warred over the origins of our capacity to perceive space, over the retinal mechanisms that mediate colour sensations, and over the role of mind, experience and inference in vision. This study explores the impassioned exchanges of those rival schools, both to ...
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One of the most persistent controversies of modern science has dealt with human visual perception. It erupted in Germany during the 1860s as a dispute between physiologists Hermann von Helmholtz, Ewald Hering and their schools. Well into the 20th century, these groups warred over the origins of our capacity to perceive space, over the retinal mechanisms that mediate colour sensations, and over the role of mind, experience and inference in vision. This study explores the impassioned exchanges of those rival schools, both to illuminate the clash of theory and to explore the larger role of controversy in the development of science. It focuses on the arguments and issues of the dispute, issues that ranged from the interpretation of colour blindness and optical illusions to the therapeutic practices of clinical ophthalmology. As well, it describes the personalities, institutions, disciplinary structures, and methodological commitments that shaped the dispute, including the schools' rhetorical strategies.
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Add this copy of In the Eye's Mind (Princeton Legacy Library, 227) to cart. $117.71, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Princeton University Press.