CONTRIBUTI / 6 / Giulia Lanzirotti
This paper aims to offer a renovated reading of the role of habits within the epistemological question of the relationship between perception and conceptuality. Focusing on the Dreyfus-McDowell Debate, the paper proposes to conceive habits not as subjective modalities of experience, but rather as a paradigmatic notion for comprehending the intimate relationship between the allegedly separated spheres of perception and concepts. Hence, I will highlight how McDowell and Dreyfus employ the notion of habit, pinpointing that both authors think of habits as modalities de re, namely as subjective attitudes of living in our world. Referring to Classic phenomenology, in which habits represent a complex phenomenon, I will suggest reading the ambiguous nature of habits not as an aporia to resolve but to exploit. Instead of questioning if habits are conceptual or not, the paper suggests considering habits as a paradigmatic dimension of experience from which to start analysing the interconnection between concepts and perception.
