ABSTRACT
This chapter presents evidence that when we find automated compression in human cognition, we find the right sort of problem-inducing appearances: apparent directness, indescribability, simplicity, and contingent connection. The evidence is drawn from the empirical literature on expert perception, particularly the literature on chess expertise and the development of reading skills. Next, the chapter details how Automated Compression Theory (ACT) explains first-person access by positing the compression of rich sensory information and the automated accessing of this information. This, in turn, accounts for the problematic appearances, clearing the way for a satisfying optimistic explanation of conscious experience.
