Site-specific Perception. Philosophical reflections on the impact of environment on perception

Abstract

The question raised is about the differences in perception between people due to different environmental backgrounds. The assumption is that we learn to perceive and that the environment is essential for this learning. This is discussed taking a classical philosophical view on perception from Leibniz and Baumgarten’s aesthetics recently revived in the concept of atmosphere, as proposed by Gernot Böhme. The conclusion points to questions of the consequences of the environment for our perception as well as to the importance of aesthetic education in training perception.

Keywords

• Art
• atmosphere
• Baumgarten
• interpretation
• Leibniz
• Perception
• phenomenology
• Philosophy
• aesthetics