Spatial experience and olfaction: A role for naïve topology

Authors:

• Bartłomiej Chomański

Abstract

In this paper, I provide an account of the spatiality of olfactory experiences in terms of topological properties. I argue that thinking of olfactory experiences as making the subject aware of topological properties enables us to address popular objections against the spatiality of smells, and it makes sense of everyday spatial olfactory phenomenology better than its competitors. I argue for this latter claim on the basis of reflection on thought experiments familiar from the philosophical literature on olfaction, as well as on the basis of some empirical data about the localization of smells. I conclude by suggesting how the naïve-topology framework could be applied in debates about the spatiality of other types of experiences.