Direct Realism

Question 1

What is direct realism?

Answer 1

realist, perceive the EW directly (without intermediary).

Question 2

Support for DR:

Answer 2

in line with nutrition, avoids scepticism, explanatory power.

Question 3

Argument from illusion

Answer 3

• illusions occur when someone is aware of a physical quality an object appears to have, but the object does not have this quality in reality. What is perceived and what is real are distinct.
• examples: straw/oar in water.

Question 4

How can DRs respond to the argument from illusion?

Answer 4

• can claim it is not the case that the perceiver is directly aware of anything other than the object, it is just the manner of the objects appearance due to the circumstances.

Question 5

Argument from PV

Answer 5

• examples: table (Russell), water (Locke), clouds (Berkeley).
• an object appears different under different conditions, it can’t be both of these things at once/can’t be changing so we must not be perceiving the table as it really is.
• DR claims there should not be such a difference between reality and perception.

Question 6

How can DRs respond to the argument from PV?

Answer 6

• can introduce relational properties, such as being N/S of something is relational, as can the table have relational properties of colour etc. the object does not change but the perceiver does and therefore the perceived properties do too.
• could say that when perceiving an object under different conditions we are rarely fooled into thinking that this is the real colour of the object.

Question 7

Argument from hallucination

Answer 7

• when we perceive things which can be subjectively indistinguishable from veridical perception but not existing in the EW.
• example: knife

Question 8

How could DRs respond to the argument from hallucination?

Answer 8

• veridical perception and hallucination have different casual history.
• typically what we perceive are Mi objects but this is imagination confused with reality.

Question 9

Time-lag argument

Answer 9

• there is a delay in our perception of objects due to the finite speed of light meaning there is a difference between the object we perceive and the object itself.
• Russell sun example.

Question 10

How could DRs respond to the time-lag argument?

Answer 10

• still perceived directly, just as it was to as it is now.

Question 11

How convincing is DR?

Answer 11

INTRO
-definition/why hallucination not included (infrequent).
P1
-illusion
-oar example/not coherent, illusion is a misinterpretation whilst DR insists on accuracy.
-R: just the manner of the oars appearance.
-C: if the appearance is capable of rapid change, suggests there is not a stable and reliable connection between reality and perception.
-weakest, others stronger (attacks more central points/rooted in science).
P2
-PV
-