  Snowdon suggests that despite this, what Hinton does achieve, in his various discussions of these issues, is to put pressure on the assumption that there is anything in the use we make of our ordinary Neutral Experience Reports that thereby commits us to the common element view—i.e., the view that Hinton is attempting to target. Suppose we accept that Hinton does achieve what Snowdon suggests. Consistent with this, one might also hold that there is nothing in the use we make of our ordinary Neutral Experience Reports that thereby commits us to a denial of the common element view. One might think that a denial of the common element view is at least as committal as its affirmation, for it involves a substantive metaphysical claim about the nature of perceptual experience. So why should we think that the burden of proof lies with the common element theorists to establish their view?