direct realism

Question 1

what is perception

Answer 1

the process of using the senses to become aware of, or to gain knowledge of something (e.g. using sight to gain knowledge of colour/s)

Question 2

what is an object

Answer 2

a thing that exists, It does not necessarily mean a physical object. If non-physical things exist, then we could call them non-physical objects.

Question 3

what is a property

Answer 3

a characteristic of an object: e.g., when we say “the moon is spherical” we are claiming that an object, the moon, has a property, that of being spherical.

Question 4

realism

Answer 4

• the view that at least some mind-independent objects exist.
• they could/would exist even if NO minds were perceiving them

Question 5

anti-realism

Answer 5

• the view that no mind-independent objects exist
• everything that exists is in someone or something’s mind

Question 6

mind independent

Answer 6

an object or property is mind-independent if it exists independently of all minds and independently of any experience of it

Question 7

mind-dependent

Answer 7

an object or property is mind-dependent if it only exists within a mind

Question 8

external world

Answer 8

the reality that consists of all mind-independent objects and their mind-independent properties

Question 9

immediate perception

Answer 9

immediately perceiving X means perceiving X without this being by or through perceiving something else
- e.g., If I see my face in the mirror I am not immediately perceiving my face, since I am only perceiving my face by perceiving the image of my face in the mirror so this would be ‘mediate perception’

Question 10

what is direct realism

Answer 10

• During perception, external objects are what we are directly aware of.
• The immediate objects of perception are mind-independent objects and their properties.

Question 11

what is the direct perception of the external world

Answer 11

• The immediate objects of awareness during perception are mind-independent objects/properties - so we are directly aware of the mind-independent external world during perception

Question 12

what is the knowledge we gain of the external world

Answer 12

We can have knowledge of the EW through this direct perception of it.

Question 13

analogy of direct realism

Answer 13

When I perceive a tree, there is a mind-independent tree, and I am directly aware of this tree.