Epistemology - Idealism Flashcards
What does idealism argue?
The immediate objects of perception are mind-dependent objects, and there are no mind-indp objects.
For an idealist, what does size, motion etc have in common?
They are due to perceptual variation.
For an idealist, what are the differences between primary and secondary qualities?
No difference - they are both due to perceptual variation.
What does idealism provide us with?
We know that our ideas exist and cannot be sceptic e.g, you can’t imagine a tree nobody else has imagined, it is impossible to perceive and impossible thing.
What are the problems with idealism?
-> Doesn’t explain why objects change on their own
-> Doesn’t explain the differences between perceptions and variations - why is there continuity in our perceptions and how did things exist before our minds?
-> Idealism leads to solipsism and the role that God plays in withholding the theory.
How does idealism combat the problem of regularity and continuity in our perceptions?
God perceives everything all the time, thus everything must exist always.
What is solipsism?
The idea that we can only be sure that our mind exists.
Why is it a problem that idealism uses God as an explanation for continuity?
If God perceives all then he perceives our pain, which makes him imperfect.
However, idealists argue that he doesn’t feel it, he simply perceives it.
What is the master argument?
Created by Berkeley. (Pinnacle of Idealism)
In the argument he states, in order to determine whether it is possible for a tree to exist outside of the mind, we need to be able to think of an unconceived tree.
As soon as we try to think about this ‘unconceived tree’, we have conceived it.
Thus, we have failed and there is no good reason to believe that trees exist outside of the mind.
Therefore, the notion of unperceived concepts is contradictory and wha is contradictory is not real.
