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Theoretical Perspectives on Smell Theoretical Perspective on Smell is the first collection of scholarly a rticles to be devoted exclusively to philosophical research on olfaction. The essays, published here for the first time, bring together leading theorists working on smell in a format that allows for deep engagement with the emerging field, while also providing those new to the philosophy of smell with a resource to begin their journey. The volume’s 14 chapters are orga- nized into four parts: I. The Importance and Beauty of Smell II. Smell in Time and Space III. What We Perceive through Smell IV. Smell and the Other Senses The collection solidifies the area as an important emerging branch of perceptual philosophy by presenting the cutting edge research being done by innovative early career researchers, as well as by those more senior and established within the field. Andreas Keller is Guest Investigator at the Rockefeller University in New York, NY. He has published the results of his psychophysical research in olfaction in journals such as Science and Nature. He is the author of Philosophy of Olfactory Perception (2016). Benjamin D. Young is Associate Professor in Philosophy and a mem- ber of the Graduate Faculty in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience and The Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Nevada, Reno. He conducts research at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and philosophy, with a particular emphasis on olfaction, and has published arti- cles in journals such as Mind & Language, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, and Philosophical Studies. He co-edited, with Carolyn Dicey Jennings, the textbook, Mind, Cognition, and Neuroscience (2022). Theoretical Perspectives on Smell Edited by Andreas Keller and Benjamin D. Young First published 2023 by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 and by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Andreas Keller and Benjamin D. Young; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Andreas Keller and Benjamin D. Young to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. ISBN: 978-1-032-07588-4 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-07590-7 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-20780-1 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003207801 Typeset in Times New Roman by codeMantra Contents List of Figures vii List of Tables ix Editors xi List of Contributors xiii 1 Editorial Introduction – Overview of the Collection 1 ANDREAS KELLER AND BENJAMIN D. YOUNG PART I The Importance and Beauty of Smell 11 2 The Role of Smell in Consciousness 13 BARRY C. SMITH 3 The Metacognitive Gap: Why We Both Trust and Mistrust Our Sense of Smell 36 OPHELIA DEROY 4 Perfumes and the Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature 53 CHIARA BROZZO 5 Aesthetics, Olfaction, and Environment 71 MICHAEL AARON LINDQUIST PART II Smell in Time and Space 89 6 Scent and the Space Between Us 91 CLARE BATTY vi Contents 7 The Temporal Structure of Olfactory Experience 111 KEITH A. WILSON PART III What We Perceive through Smell 131 8 How Biology Perceives Chemistry: A Causal Analysis of the Stimulus in Olfaction and Its Implications for Scientific and Philosophical Theorizing 133 ANN-SOPHIE BARWICH 9 The Accuracy Conditions of Olfactory Perception 153 ANDREAS KELLER 10 Maybe We Don’t Smell Molecular Structure 168 BENJAMIN D. YOUNG 11 Stuff and Nonsense: Against Mizrahi on Olfaction 188 HARRY SHERWOOD 12 The Layering of Smell 202 WILLIAM G. LYCAN PART IV Smell and the Other Senses 221 13 From Odours to Flavours: Perceptual Organisation in the Chemical Senses 223 BECKY MILLAR 14 Seeing and Hearing Flavours 241 BŁAŻEJ SKRZYPULEC 15 Smelling Gustatory Properties 260 LOUISE RICHARDSON Index 281 Figures 8.1 Lycan’s levels of object reference in olfaction—and zombies. Level 1 represents the mental image one associates with an olfactory impression (e.g., rose, skunk, pee, banana). Level 2 represents the chemical stimulus (chemical features and/or cloud of molecules) that causally interact with the receptors in the nasal epithelium. Level 3 represents the macro-object, meaning the ordinary objects from which the chemical stimulus emanates (e.g., a rose or a rose-scented cream or perfume) 136 8.2 Comparison of odorant classifications between analytic and medicinal chemistry: the (left) shows a similarity tree of ketones drawing on (a) analytic chemistry and (b) medicinal chemistry (image from Poivet et al., 2016; OSN stands for Olfactory Sensory Neurons). These differences are grounded in varying ordering criteria of chemical similarity (example right; c). (Note: Sample molecules in (c) are not ketones but chosen merely for an illustration of selection criteria.) 141 11.1 In shaded circles, phenylethyl alcohol, and in unshaded, molecules of other chemical identities. Dotted line denotes bisecting plane 197 Tables 8.1 Hypothetical, simplified schema illustrating odor receptor coding, involving (i) the principle of combinatorial coding and (ii) varying tuning ranges in odor receptors, meaning that (i) receptors can respond to various odorants and odorants can be detected by various receptors and (ii) receptors can be narrowly or broadly tuned (responding to a narrower or wider array of chemical features) 137 11.1 An illustratory comparison of the relative abundances of molecular components of rose petals and headspace 193