direct realism content

Question 1

What is Direct Realism?

Answer 1

An external world of mind independant objects exist and we percieve these objects without mediation

Question 2

What is naïve direct realism?

Answer 2

The world exists directly as we perceive it

Question 3

Why might DR be convincing?

Answer 3

• simple and follows ockhams razor
• intuitive - most people assume objects are mind independant
• robust to scrutiny

Question 4

What is veridical perception

Answer 4

True perception
Perceptions of real objects as they are - 98% of our perception

Question 5

What is non veridical perception

Answer 5

2% of our perception
Hallucinations and illusions
Objects that we may perceive as reality that aren’t actually

Question 6

What are the four objections to direct realism

Answer 6

Argument from perceptual variation, illusion, time lag and hallucination

Question 7

What is Ockham’s razor?

Answer 7

Taking whatever the simplest option is to not over complicate things

Question 8

What would a DR say about a tree falling in a forest theory?

Answer 8

The tree did fall and make a sound even if no one was there to see or hear it.

Question 9

What is the formal argument for perceptual variation P1, P2, C1, C2

Answer 9

P1) there are variations in perception
P2) our perception varies without corresponding changes in the physical properties we perceive
C1) therefore, the properties the physical objects have and the properties they appear to have are not identical
C2) therefore we do not perceive objects directly

Question 10

What example does Bertrand Russel give for the argument of perceptual variation?

Answer 10

A shiny brown table
Only when an ordinary spectator from and ordinary point of view under usual visual light conditions see the table can it be perceived as a regular brown table

Question 11

What is the formal argument argument from time lag?

Answer 11

P1) it takes time for light to reach our eyes from the objects we perceive
P2) in that time the object may have changed or ceased to exist
C1) therefore the object of my experience is distinct from reality
C2) therefore I don’t perceive reality directly

Question 12

What example does Bertrand Russel give for the argument of time lag

Answer 12

The suns rays take 8 minutes to reach Earth so when we look into the sky we are seeing the past. So objects could’ve ceased to exist in that time frame so we don’t perceive reality directly

Question 13

What are the reasons why the argument from time lag by russel is convinving?

Answer 13

• valid and sound and makes rational sense
• scientifically credible

Question 14

What are the reasons for why the argument from time lag by Russel may be unconvincing?

Answer 14

• The argument is an explanation fir how our sight works but does not actually describe our perceptual experience of seeing
• Direct doesnt mean immediate
  —> we are seeing the light waves directly, so the sun directly (even if it is not immediate)
  —> so the argument is not an issue for DR

Question 15

What is the formal argument from Illusion?

P1, P2, C1, C2

Answer 15

P1) during illusions you perceive an object to have a particular property. This property is what you immediately perceive
P2) however this object doesn’t actually have that property
C1)therefore the object of my experience is different from reality
C2) therefore I don’t perceive reality directly

Question 16

What is the formal argument argument from hallucinations?
P1, P2, C1, C2

Answer 16

P1) during illusions you perceive an object to have a particular property. This property is what you immediately perceive
P2) however this object doesn’t actually have that property. The object itself doesn’t exist
C1)therefore the object of my experience is distinct from reality
C2) therefore I don’t perceive reality directly

Question 17

Why might hallucinations pose an issue for a DR?

Answer 17

it would mean that hallucinations are real when they arent

Question 18

Why might the hallucination argument be convincing?

Answer 18

• a naive DR would claim that all our perceptions have equal weight meaning hallucinations do exist but this is counter intuitive
• how do we calculate optimum viewing conditions for percieving an object

Question 19

What is veridical perception?

Answer 19

A true perception
- perceptions of real objects as they are which are percieved without mediation
- 98% of our perception

Question 20

What is non veridical perception?

Answer 20

A false perception
- illusions/hallucinatins/pv
- a perception that doesnt correspond with how that object is in reality

Question 21

How would a direct realist respond to PV?

Answer 21

• there are 2 catagories of perceptions
  allowing us to distinguish between true and false perceptions
• by doing this we are no longer committed to saying the object itself is changing
  —> illusions —> water refraction
  —> hallucinations —> physical changes in the brain

Question 22

Why might the DR response to disjunctivism be convincing?

Answer 22

• it does seem to solve the issues
• if it is true, we can stave off IR and therefore avoid sceptisism

Question 23

Why might the DR response to disjunctivism not be convincing?
PV

Answer 23

• How do we work out if perception is veridical or not?
• most of our perception is subject to PV which means it is non veridical, if this is true then a disjunctivist would argue that most of our perceptions are false ones