Perception as a source of knowledge Flashcards
(20 cards)
Realism
The viewpoint which accords to the things which exist independently of our minds
Anti-realism
The belief that reality is not mind-independent, therefore does not exist independently of our thoughts, perceptions, or knowledge
Direct realism
The idea that we perceive things immediately - that is, without anything getting between us and the objects we perceive
Issue (DR)- Perceptual variation
Where the perceived appearance of physical objects can differ based on the conditions or perspectives of the perceiver
Locke on the perception of hear (perceptual variation)
In Locke’s discussion, he asks us to imagine putting a hot hand and a cold hand into the same bucket of water. The water feels cold ton one hand and hot to the other - but clearly the water cannot be hot and cold at the same time
Sense data
Sense data are the immediate objects of perception. They are what we are directly aware of, as distinct from the physical objects which cause th
Response to perceptual variation
We can explain how it is possible that objects will appear differently from different angles because of the lighting conditions, point of view taken, science of optics, etc.
Issue (DR)- Illusion
Our senses are subject to illusion, therefore what we immediately perceive cannot be what is in the world
Response to illusion
In such situations (eg. bent stick in water) the senses do reveal reality directly to us, but it is just that we can occasionally misinterpret what we perceive. It is perfectly possible to perceive a bent straw is not a sense datum, rather it is a property of the straw which emerges in relation to an observer
Issue (DR)- hallucinations
During hallucinations, it may be impossible to distinguish one’s experience from a genuine perception
Response to hallucinations
We CAN, as a matter of fact, identify when we are hallucinating. Even if hallucinations and a veridical perception are indistinguishable to the person having them, it does not mean they are not in reality distinct kinds of phenomenon
Issue (DR)- time lag argument
Argues that because light takes time to travel from an object to our eyes, and sensory information takes time to process, what we perceive is not the object itself but rather a representation of it from the past
Response to time lag issue
While the argument shows that we must give up the naive view that we perceive objects instantaneously and therefore we cannot be aware of objects as they are now, but as they were, this does not refute direct realism
Indirect realism
The view that posits we perceive the external world indirectly through mind-independent representations called sense-data, which are cause by and represent mind-independent objects
Primary qualities
Qualities of an object - such as extension, figure, motion, and solidity, which are mind-independent and exist in the external world
Secondary qualities
Qualities of an object - such as colour, taste, smell, and sound, which are mind-dependent, ideas in our mind which we perceive.
Locke explains it as: the primary qualities have powers which create (in our mind) the secondary qualities we perceive
Issue (IDR)- skepticism about the nature of mind-independent objects
If I cannot have immediate access to reality, then how am I to determine how accurate the representation of it is?
The veil of perception
A ‘veil’ which perceivers access the external world through - comprising of sense-datum and our mind’s representations
Issue (IDR)- skepticism about the existence of mind-independent objects
The idea that our sense data could be caused by something entirely different from what we ordinarily suppose they are - eg. Descartes’ ‘Evil demon’ scenario
Reponses to the issues of skepticism
- The involuntary nature of our experiences
- The coherence of various senses
