EPISTEMOLOGY: Direct and indirect realism (with primary/secondary qualities)

Question 1

What is the aim of direct realism?

Answer 1

Direct realism is a theory of perception.

It is an epistemological theory.

It’s concerned with how perception influences what knowledge can be gained through experience.

Question 2

What is Direct realism (key points)?

Answer 2

A realist theory that claims perceptual realism - this is that at least some mind-independent objects exist.
Direct realism claims that we perceive objects directly
The immediate objects of perception are mind-independent - this is to say that the thing that we perceive is the mind-independent object itself.
Our mind makes direct contact with the object itself.
Direct realism claims that knowledge of the external world is possible.
This is because we are able to establish direct contact with the object itself.

Question 3

What are examples of direct realism?

Answer 3

Tables exist mind-independently, and what we perceive is the table itself.

Question 4

What is the aim of indirect realism?

Answer 4

To prove that immediate objects of perception are mind-dependent objects (sense-data) that are caused by and represent mind-independent objects.

Question 5

What are the main claims of Indirect realism?

Answer 5

A realist theory - at least some mind-independent objects exist, (could/would exist even if no minds were perceiving them).

We perceive the external world indirectly - Immediate objects of awareness during perception are mind-independent objects/properties. We’re indirectly aware of the mind-independent external world during perception via immediate awareness of mind-dependent sense-data.

We perceive representations of the mind - Mind-dependent sense-data represent (during veridical/accurate perception) mind-independent objects/properties.

Our sense data is caused by mind-independent objects that they represent.

We can have knowledge of the external world because we’re immediately aware of the mind-dependent sense-data that represent it.

Question 6

What is an example of indirect realism?

Answer 6

When I perceive a tree, there’s a mind-independent, I’m indirectly aware of this tree via direct awareness of mind-dependent sense-data which represent that tree.

Question 7

What are the similarities between direct and indirect realism?

Answer 7

Both are realist theories
This means they both claim that at least some mind-independent objects exist.

These objects will continue to exist even when no-one is perceiving them, because they do not rely on minds in order to exist.

Question 8

What are the differences between direct and indirect realism?

Answer 8

Direct realism claims that perception is direct whereas indirect realism claims that perception is indirect.

For Direct realism, this means that the immediate objects of perception are mind-independent.

When you are perceiving an object, you are in fact becoming directly aware of the mind-independent object itself.

For Indirect realism, this means that the immediate objects of perception are mind-dependent.

When you are perceiving an object, you are not becoming directly aware of the mind-independent object, instead, you are becoming aware of a mind-dependent representation (sense data) which is caused by the mind-independent object - in this way, you are indirectly aware of the mind-independent object.

Question 9

According to Locke, what is the difference between primary and secondary qualities?

Answer 9

Primary qualities are properties of an object that have the power to produce sense data that resembles the object. ( Sam on both sides of the veil of perception).

Secondary qualities are properties of an object that have the power to produce sense data that does not resemble the object.

Question 10

What do primary and secondary qualities both have?

Answer 10

The power to cause mind-dependent sense data. There is a casual relationship between mind-independent objects and the mind-dependent representations (sense-data) they cause us to perceive.

Question 11

What are examples of primary qualities?

Answer 11

Shape

Question 12

What are examples of secondary qualities?

Answer 12

Colour, sounds, tastes etc
Nothing in the objects themselves (are in the objects but are powers).

Question 13

What is the aim of The Variation argument?

Answer 13

The aim of this argument is to show that there is reason to believe the some properties of our sense data (mind-dependent representations) resemble the properties of the mind-independent objects that cause them, whereas some do not resemble the properties of the mind-dependent objects that cause them.

Question 14

What is The Variation argument (key claims)?

Answer 14

An object’s shape cannot be perceived as having differing shapes, whereas an object can be perceived as having different felt-temperatures.

Specifically Locke is referring to the subjective experience of feeling temperature, rather than the thermal energy of an object which is objectively measurable.

This is because when an object is perceived in varied ways, in order to resemble the object it would have to possess contradictory properties (such as being both hot and cold) which would be impossible.

On the other hand, when a property is not experienced in variation, it gives us no reason to think that we are not perceiving the actual property of the object.

Question 15

What are examples of The Variation argument?

Answer 15

You cannot perceive an object as cubic to one hand, and spherical to the other (its shape can only be perceived in one way).

If you were to put your hands in two different buckets of water (one hot and one cold) then move them both to the same bucket of room temperature water; one hand would perceive this water as being hot and the other would perceive it as being cold.

It is not possible for the water to be both hot and cold as this would mean it had contradictory properties, so these must be subjective properties and not properties of the mind-independent object (water) itself.

Question 16

What type of argument is The Variation argument?

Answer 16

This argument is non-deductive, because the logical relationship between the premises is such that if the premises are true, the truth of the conclusion is not entailed by necessity, but is still likely to be true (in proportion to the strength of the evidence).

This argument is a posteriori, because the examples used are based on experience, and this is where the force of the argument comes from.

Question 17

What is the aim of The Multi-sensory argument?

Answer 17

The aim of this argument is to show that there is reason to believe the some properties of our sense data (mind-dependent representations) resemble the properties of the mind-independent objects that cause them, whereas some do not resemble the properties of the mind-dependent objects that cause them.

Question 18

What are the key claims of the Multi-sensory argument?

Answer 18

An object’s shape can be perceived by more than one sense, whereas its colour can only be perceived by one sense.

This gives us reason to think that our sense data actually resembles the shape of the object, as it is corroborated by more than one sensory faculty.

We cannot corroborate the object’s colour as it can only be perceived by one sensory faculty.

Question 19

What are examples of the multi-sensory argument?

Answer 19

The ideas we get by more than one sense are of space, or extension, shape, rest, and motion; for these are perceivable by sight and touch.”
Any example of a visible object, though it is especially useful if it has a set shape and colour e.g. a red sphere.

Question 20

What type of argument is the multi-sensory argument?

Answer 20

This argument is non-deductive, because the logical relationship between the premises is such that if the premises are true, the truth of the conclusion is not entailed by necessity, but is still likely to be true (in proportion to the strength of the evidence).

This argument is a posteriori, because the examples used are based on experience, and this is where the force of the argument comes from.