The elliptical coin case is a good one for understanding the concept of qualia. As you move your head, your cognitions about the coin don’t change: you still affirm its circularity. Your visual perception remains consistent with that affirmation—but still, something about that perception is changing. The shape and extent of the copper-colored qualia are changing (the coin is a penny). If we want to, we can change our focus from the usual objective facts and describe these aspects of subjective experience. That’s the point at which the word “elliptical” might be used.
Still, unless the angle is extreme or the coin distant, your visual cortex still knows that it’s looking at a circular object. So in that sense, it still “looks circular”.
The elliptical coin case is a good one for understanding the concept of qualia. As you move your head, your cognitions about the coin don’t change: you still affirm its circularity. Your visual perception remains consistent with that affirmation—but still, something about that perception is changing. The shape and extent of the copper-colored qualia are changing (the coin is a penny). If we want to, we can change our focus from the usual objective facts and describe these aspects of subjective experience. That’s the point at which the word “elliptical” might be used.
Still, unless the angle is extreme or the coin distant, your visual cortex still knows that it’s looking at a circular object. So in that sense, it still “looks circular”.