Indirect realism

Question 1

Why does indirect realism still qualify as realism?

Answer 1

It posits that objects exist outside perception

Question 2

What names do Locke and Russel give to our perception?

Answer 2

Locke- Ideas

Russel- Sense-data

Question 3

How many objects in perception and what are they?

Answer 3

3- The perceiver, the object and the sense data that mediates the interaction.

Question 4

Why is it called ‘indirect realism’?

Answer 4

Because we must infer material reality indirectly through the senses.

Question 5

What is the first supporting factor relating to direct realism?

Answer 5

It accounts for hallucinations, illusions, time-lag, perceptual variation and perspectival variation.

Question 6

How does Locke define his ‘ideas?’

Answer 6

‘Whatsoever the mind perceives in itself’

Question 7

How does Locke define his ‘qualities’?

Answer 7

The power to produce an idea in our mind

Question 8

What are the primary qualities?

Answer 8

e.g. extension, shape, motion, stillness

Question 9

How do the primary qualities relate to reality?

Answer 9

It corresponds accurately to the sense data.

Question 10

What are the secondary qualities?

Answer 10

colour, taste, smell

Question 11

How do the secondary qualities relate to the primary?

Answer 11

The primary qualities cause me to perceive a secondary e.g. the chemical chlorophyl causes me to see green in a plant.

Question 12

What does Locke call the ability to produce an idea or sensation in us?

Answer 12

‘Powers’ to produce a sensation in us.

Question 13

Give an argument for Locke that involves cutting things.

Answer 13

P1: I am able to cut an object down in to the smaller possible parts so that I can no longer see it but, despite not being perceivable, the object would still have its primary qualities.
C1: Therefore primary qualities are mind-independent.

Question 14

Give an argument for Locke that involves pounding things.

Answer 14

P1: When I crush an almond I merely change it’s shape
P2: However, the smell and taste (secondary qualities) also change.
C: Therefore, the change in colour and taste is caused by the change in the almond’s parts.

Question 15

Give an argument for Locke that involves closing our eyes.

Answer 15

P1: Certain qualities disappear if I block my sense organs.
C: Secondary qualities depend on our sense organs and do not exist as perceived in reality.

Question 16

Give two parts of ‘obvious criticism’ for Locke’s destruction-based arguments.

Answer 16

• Locke reasons that if a quality changes then it must be secondary but the shape of the almond changes and so must be mind-dependent too. Surely crushed almonds can have objectively different qualities.
• If you close your eyes you cannot see primary qualities either.

Question 17

Give an argument based on a clear liquid that isn’t vodka that addresses the issue of perceptual variation.

Answer 17

P1: The same lukewarm water can produce an idea of cold to one hand and warm to another.
P2: One object (the water) cannot have these two properties at the same time.
C1: Therefore these properties cannot belong to the object (water)
C2: So cold and warmth are perceptions produced by the perceiver.

Question 18

What are sense data caused by?

Answer 18

Pirmary qualities

Question 19

Are sense data mind dependent?

Answer 19

yes.

Question 20

How can we define sense data?

Answer 20

What the perceiver is directly aware of in perception

Question 21

How can we define qualities?

Answer 21

What the perceiver is indirectly aware of in perception.

Question 22

How do ideas of primary qualities relate to primary qualities?

Answer 22

They resemble them

Question 23

Do ideas of secondary qualities represent the secondary qualities of objects?

Answer 23

No.

Question 24

What is the first main issue with Locke’s realism? Detail the issue.

Answer 24

Solipsism.

• We are only directly aware of sense data and therefore must infer that objects exist.
• Our senses can deceive us, e.g. Cartesian demon.
• Inference is not sufficient for knowledge.

Question 25

How can we respond to the issue of Solipsism?

Answer 25

Perception is not subject to will, therefore cannot come from ourselves. No control over what you see when you open your eyes.
- We are not being influenced by an evil demon because we can predict what we will see next.

Question 26

Which fire related idea speaks to the coherence of experience?

Answer 26

That we can both feel heat and see fire fire at the same time. The senses evidence each other.

Question 27

What does Locke come to admit about the coherence idea? Give an example and his solution to it.

Answer 27

That it is not a deductive argument.

Question 28

What does Locke come to admit about the coherence idea?

Answer 28

That it is not a deductive argument.

Question 29

What is an issue Locke’s solution and Russel’s ___ hypothesis?

Answer 29

When we dream we are unable to see

Question 30

What is an issue Locke’s solution and Russel’s ___ hypothesis?

Answer 30

Ideas cannot be LIKE primary qualities seeing as we cannot actually observe them directly and so we have no way of verifying this.

Question 31

What is the best example of an illusion that makes indirect realism unreliable.

Answer 31

Dreams. We perceive dreams but they do not correspond to a material reality.