Spatial, Temporal, and Spatiotemporal Perception

Abstract While both spatial and temporal perception have been extensively discussed by philosophers, in many works these aspects are discussed separately, in the context of distinct philosophical questions. The goal of this paper is to explore the still underdeveloped philosophical field of connections between spatial and temporal perception. In particular, the paper focuses on three major theories regarding the temporal structure of perceptual experiences: the snapshot theory, extensionalism, and retentionalism. It is argued that different theories of temporal experiential structure impose distinct constraints on perceptual abilities for spatial representation. Furthermore, this paper shows how these results are relevant for several contemporary debates within the philosophy of perception concerning the spatiality of nonvisual modalities, high-level properties perception, and the temporal unity of perceptual consciousness.