[Revised entry by Matthew Fulkerson on June 12, 2024.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography]
The sense of touch is one of the central forms of perceptual experience. While it has often been overshadowed by vision in both philosophy and psychology, recent years have seen an increased interest in touch. Touch is thought to be one of the first senses to develop. Unlike the other modalities, which have distinct sensory organs, touch spans across the whole body using a variety of receptors in the skin, muscles, and viscera. It often combines these signals with motor feedback as we actively move and explore the world, and…

Originally appeared on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Read More