The Epistemic Insignificance of Phenomenal Force

Does phenomenal force, the distinctive phenomenology
attributed to perceptual experience, really form an integral part of the latter? If not, what implications does it
have for perceptual justification? In this paper, I first
argue for a metacognitive account, according to which
phenomenal force constitutes a separate, metacognitive
state. This account opens up a previously unexplored
path for challenging phenomenal conservatism or dogmatism, which has been a prominent theory of perceptual justification over the past two decades. Moreover, I
investigate several alternative possibilities in which phenomenal force might still be deemed as significant, but
ultimately demonstrate that its epistemic role remains
marginal at best.