Epistemology: Percption- 1. Berkeley's Master Argument Flashcards
What is the difference between direct and indirect realism?
Direct realism states that immediate objects of perception are real mind-independent objects, while indirect realism suggests that they are mind-dependent sense data representing real objects.
Define Idealism according to Berkeley.
Idealism states that everything that exists is either a mind or mind-dependent, and immediate objects of perception are sense data not caused by physical objects.
What does Berkeley mean by ‘esse est percipi’?
‘To be is to be perceived (or to perceive)’ indicates that objects exist only as they are perceived.
What are objects, according to Berkeley?
Objects are merely bundles of ideas.
What is Berkeley’s stance on primary and secondary qualities?
Berkeley argues that neither primary nor secondary qualities belong to objects; both are simply perceptions.
What conclusion does Berkeley draw about the nature of the world?
The world can only be understood through the senses, and all qualities are mind-dependent.
What is Berkeley’s Master Argument?
It asserts that it is impossible to conceive of a physical object existing independent of a mind; any attempt results in perceiving it in one’s mind.
How does the Master Argument lead to Idealism?
Because the world exists only as perceiving minds and their ideas, with no material substance.
What does Berkeley say about the existence of external bodies?
He claims that if there were external bodies, we would never come to know them.
What are the only qualities that are perceived according to Berkeley?
Only primary and secondary qualities are perceived.
True or False: According to Berkeley, all qualities are mind-dependent.
True.
What is Berkeley’s objection to Locke regarding primary qualities?
Primary qualities vary in perception just as much as secondary qualities, leading to questions about their resemblance to physical objects.
Fill in the blank: The only concept of ‘size’ and ‘shape’ we have are derived from what we ______.
do perceive.
What is the indirect realist response to Berkeley’s objections?
Indirect realists claim that sense-data represent physical objects, rather than resemble them.
How do changes in physical objects relate to changes in sense-data?
Changes in physical objects are mapped by changes in sense-data.
