Phenomenology and Animal Sensory Systems: Asking "Why"

Establishing deterministic relations between neuronal systems and behavior is an insisting theme in modern sensory neuroscience, prompted by the availability of new technologies. To proceed on this path, I argue for the importance of pursuing a science of subjectivity in different animal species. My reasoning can be summarized as follows: (a) Mainstream questions about the physiology of sensory systems consist, implicitly or explicitly, of a "why" question-that is, a question about their purpose. (b) The deterministic structure of sensory-motor systems is circular; therefore, the "why" question is formally impredicative and needs to be answered in relational terms. (c) Experimental phenomenology is an established framework which allows to address impredicative "why" questions about sensory experience. Because all of its observables are conscious phenomena, "why" questions are answered by establishing relations between perceptual objects within perception. (d) By extending the principles of experimental phenomenology to animal behavior, we can address the issue of subjectivity in different species and obtain relational models of their experience. This approach may provide valuable insights for the physiological study of sensory systems.