The timing of experiences
how far can we get with simple brain time models?
pp. 187-201
in: Valtteri Arstila, Peter Øhrstrøm (eds), Philosophy and psychology of time, Berlin, Springer, 2016Abstract
When questioned, we are generally able to provide a coherent narrative regarding the order in which recent events happened. In considering this ability, many theorists have appealed to the idea that our perception of physical event timing might be related to the corresponding timing of neural events (i.e. brain time). However, a number of findings indicate that our perception does not slavishly follow from brain time, which might lead us to disregard the whole notion that the time of neural events is important. In this chapter we will suggest that this is premature. We will outline some simple models in which brain time matters, and discuss ways in which they would need to be developed to deal with the realities of our perceptual experiences. Our main point is not that these models are necessarily correct, but rather that theorists need to make alternative accounts similarly concrete and implementable before they will provide a compelling alternative.