Indirect Realism Flashcards
What is the key claim of Indirect Realism?
The immediate objects of perception are mind-dependent sense-datum that are caused by and represent mind-independent objects.
What are the arguments for IR?
We naturally and instinctively believe the external world exists. We can believe we directly perceive sense data because the existence of it explains non-veridical perception (all arguments against DR can be used to support this).
What are differences between sense-data and the external world?
External world Sense-data Material Mental Objective Subjective Public Private Permanent Temporary Dubitable Indubitable
What is Locke’s distinction between primary qualities and secondary qualities?
Primary qualities are inseparable from the object that possesses them, secondary qualities are powers of objects to cause sense-data in perceivers.
What are both PQs and SQs?
Part of the external world.
Experience of primary qualities resemble the world, what does this show?
They are part of the world’s nature.
Experience of secondary qualities merely represent the unknowable causes of our experience, what does this not show?
What the objects are actually what only how they appear to us.
What is the MAJOR criticism of IR?
The veil of perception. We only perceive sense-data so cannot know what the cause is, so the cause could be anything such as an evil demon or a super-computer rather than the external world.
What is Locke’s first response to the veil of perception?
Our different senses are coherent, they work together and all show the same instance e.g. if we see boiling water on a hob we know it will be hot if we were to touch it because we can see the bubbles.
What is Locke’s second response to the veil of perception?
We have no choice or control over what we perceive and when, unlike imagination.
What is Russell’s response to the veil of perception?
The experience of the external world is the best hypothesis. Russell’s cat, realism is an instinctive natural belief which is also the most powerful explanation of our experience because of its regular and predictable patterns.
What is Berkeley’s criticism of IR?
We cannot know the nature of mind-independent objects because ideas cannot be like mind-independent objects. Essence of matter is extension but essence of mind is consciousness. Representation requires similarity but ideas can only be like other ideas.
What is a response to Berkeley’s criticism of IR?
Berkeley’s criticism relies on the claim that ideas can only represent things that are similar to them. However, words represent things without resembling them e.g. “Dog” represents dogs but isn’t like a dog in any way. Therefore, sense-data could be the same.
What is it important to note about Locke and Russell’s responses to the veil of perception?
Locke and Russell are fallibilists - they don’t believe you need indubitable proof for knowledge. So their arguments for the existence of the external world give good reason for its existence but do not prove it, it’s the best explanation.
