This paper argues that the world of experience is not the external world itself, but rather a virtual-reality replica of that world in an internal representation. He suggests that this validates a phenomenological approach to studying perceptual representations in the brain, and that such an approach reveals that the brain uses an analogical strategy in its perceptual representations that guide action.
I am quite sympathetic with many of the views expressed in this paper. But I nonetheless feel it is not yet ready for publication and commentary: It does not adequately review the relevant literature, and it spends too much time repetitively discussing details of the proposed analogical representation.
On the analogical versus digital/symbolic nature of perceptual representations, the following literature at a minimum should be cited and referenced, and integrated into the presentation of the argument for an analogical representation:
1. Mellet, E.; Tzourio-Mazoyer, N.; Bricogne, S.; Mazoyer, B.; and others. Functional anatomy of high-resolution visual mental imagery. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 2000Jan, v12 (n1):98-109.
2. Kosslyn, S. M.; Behrmann, M.; Jeannerod, M. The cognitive neuroscience of mental imagery. Neuropsychologia, 1995 Nov, v33 (n11):1335-1344.
3. Kosslyn, Stephen M. Mental imagery. IN:Visual cognition: An invitation to cognitive science, Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Stephen M. Kosslyn, Ed; Daniel N. Osherson, Ed; et al.The Mit Press, Cambridge, MA, USA. 1995. p. 267-296 of xiii, 363 pp.
4. Pylyshyn, Zenon. Visual indexes in spatial vision imagery. IN:Visual attention. Richard D. Wright, Ed; et al.Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA. 1998. p. 215-231 of 478 pp.
5. Pylyshyn, Zenon W. The imagery debate: Analogue media versus tacit knowledge. IN:Readings in cognitive science:A perspective from psychology and artificial intelligence. Allan M. Collins, Ed; Edward E. Smith, Ed; et al. Morgan Kaufmann, Inc, San Mateo, CA, USA. 1988. p. 600-614 of ix, 661 pp.
6. Pylyshyn, Zenon W. The imagery debate: Analogue media versus tacit knowledge. Psychological Review, 1981 Jan, v88 (n1):16-45.
7. Finke, Ronald A.; Pinker, Steven; Farah, Martha J. Reinterpreting visual patterns in mental imagery. Cognitive Science, 1989 Jan-Mar, v13 (n1):51-78.
8. Pinker, Steven. A computational theory of the mental imagery medium. IN:Cognitive and neuropsychological approaches to mental imagery. Michel Denis, Ed; Johannes Engelkamp, Ed; et al.Martinus Nijhoff Publishing, Dordrecht, Netherlands. 1988. p. 17-32 of xvii, 426 pp.
On the nature of motor representations used, the following literature at a minimum should be cited and reference and integrated into the author's arguments.
1. Bizzi, Emilio; Mussa-Ivaldi, Ferdinando A.; Ghez, Claude; Krakauer, John W.; and others. Motor systems. IN:The new cognitive neurosciences (2nd ed.). Michael S. Gazzaniga, Ed; et al.The Mit Press, Cambridge, MA, US. 2000. p. 489-618 of xiv, 1419 pp.
2. Bizzi, Emilio; Mussa-Ivaldi, Ferdinando A. Toward a neurobiology of coordinate transformations. IN:The cognitive neurosciences. Michael S. Gazzaniga, Ed; et al.The Mit Press, Cambridge, MA, USA. 1995. p. 495-506 of xiv, 1447 pp.
3. McIntyre, Joseph; Bizzi, Emilio. Servo hypotheses for the biological control of movement. Journal of Motor Behavior, 1993 Sep, v25 (n3):193-202.
4. Dornay, Menashe; Mussa-Ivaldi, Ferdinando A.; McIntyre, Joseph; Bizzi, Emilio. Stability constraints for the distributed control of motor behavior. Neural Networks,1993, v6 (n8):1045-1059.
5. Hollerbach, John M. Fundamentals of motor behavior. IN: Visual cognition and action: An invitation to cognitive science, Vol. 2. Daniel N. Osherson, Ed; Stephen Michael Kosslyn, Ed; et al. The Mit Press, Cambridge, MA, USA. 1990. p. 153-182 of x, 356 pp.
On the discussion of consciousness and direct realism versus indirect realism there is a large philosophical literature that should be cited and discussed, including the following:
These other points of view need to be reviewed and contrasted with the views presented in this paper. This will greatly strengthen the paper and clarify its positions by contrasting them with other well known positions on these issues. At that point it could become a very important paper worthy of publication in Consciousness and Cognition.