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The Philosophy of Holes Explained

The document discusses the philosophical debate around the existence of holes. Some philosophers believe holes exist as perceivable entities, while others say they are illusions. The debate examines how something can be said to exist and whether holes have properties like boundaries that allow them to be perceived. While the debate continues, some philosophers have provided perspectives that move closer to a unified answer, such as holes being illusions of figure-ground reversal or absences that can still be perceived through expectation. However, a single agreed-upon view has yet to be reached.

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79 views2 pages

The Philosophy of Holes Explained

The document discusses the philosophical debate around the existence of holes. Some philosophers believe holes exist as perceivable entities, while others say they are illusions. The debate examines how something can be said to exist and whether holes have properties like boundaries that allow them to be perceived. While the debate continues, some philosophers have provided perspectives that move closer to a unified answer, such as holes being illusions of figure-ground reversal or absences that can still be perceived through expectation. However, a single agreed-upon view has yet to be reached.

Uploaded by

Micael
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© © All Rights Reserved
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The Hole Question

The doughnut question is a very complex philosophical question, to answer it you must

first understand the century-long debate on the existence of holes. The problem with the question

is that it has not yet found a unifying answer or perspective. Some believe that holes do exist,

others say that they don’t. I will try to answer the question through my findings and use it as a

demonstration of the beauty of philosophy (Casati et al., 2019).

To define terms, how does something exist? The general theme of existence is that

something exists if it instantiates a certain property. Although many debates this argument to be

inadequate, to avoid digression, we will assume it to be true. Therefore, if holes can be

perceived(property); thus, it exists. Finally, to prove its existence we must know if holes are truly

perceivable (Casati et al, Philosophy 2020).

Bertamini believes that holes are illusions. He explains, a vase is perceived as a figure

through its boundaries. In contrast, backgrounds cannot be perceived because it has no boundary.

Just like Gestalt’s theory: figures cannot exist without boundaries and vice versa. But this is not

the case with holes for they both extend into the background and are perceived to have

boundaries (2003).

He reconciles this dilemma by proving in his study that the boundaries truly belong to the

object, and what we are seeing is an illusion of a figure like a figure-ground reversal or an optical

illusion.

In contrast, Farennikova states that we do in fact see absences. She discusses that

perception is not limited to shapes and colors but also includes perceptual expectation (2013).
To conclude, the age-long philosophical debate still stands today. Some may even

consider it untippable. Although many think otherwise, as our knowledge develops some

philosophers succeed in inching closer to finding a unifying answer (just like Bertamini and

Farrennikova). Despite the apparent difficulty, we still find ways to creatively demonstrate our

intellect and satisfy our need to find the truth. And we will never stop until we do. That is the

beauty of philosophy.

Bibliography

Bertamini, M., and Croucher, C. J., 2003, ‘The Shape of Holes’, Cognition, 87: 33–54.

https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1016/s0010-0277(02)00183-x.

Farennikova, A., 2013, ‘Seeing Absence’, Philosophical Studies, 166: 429–454. https://sci-

hub.hkvisa.net/10.1007/s11098-012-0045-y.

Casati, Roberto and Achille Varzi, "Holes", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer

2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/holes.

Casati, Roberto and Achille Varzi, "Holes", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer

2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/holes.

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