Indirect Realism- Rejection Of Direct Realism

Question 1

Indirect Realism- Definition

Answer 1

We perceive mind independent things via mind dependent sense data
-Draws a distinction between reality of objects and the way they appear
-3 elements: perceiver, real objects they perceive and way they appear
-Directly aware of appearance (representation of reality);
Locke= ideas, Russell= sense data
-Perceive sense data immediately, directly and actual physical object indirectly controlled through sense data

Question 2

Indirect Realism- Rejection of Direct Realism

Answer 2

-Indirect realism is a revised picture of how perception works
-Indirect realist don’t accept the realist response to perceptual variation arguments and illusion + hallucination arguments eg table argument Russell, crooked pencil
-Direct realism doesn’t satisfactorily explain what is subjectively indistinguishable perpetual variations have in common (P4)
-Indirect realism accounts for perceptual variation, illusions, time lag and hallucinations: what we directly perceive doesn’t need to be an accurate representation of reality
Perceptual variation= an occur while real object remains unchanged
Illusions= occur when appearance of an object doesn’t match reality
Hallucinations= when there’s no real object corresponding to sense data
Time lag= What I am immediately aware of= not the Sam as what is really there
Better explanation is to accept we perceive sense data

Question 3

Indirect Realism- Perceptual variation and illusion as argument for indirect realism

Answer 3

Form = Abductive
P1) There are many perceptual experiences in which what we experience are not the properties of physical objects (an oblong table, a crooked oar)
P2) When we perceive something as having some property F, then there is something that is F
C1)In such cases, given that what we perceive is not the way the world is, what we perceive are sense data
P3) Such cases, are subjectively indistinguishable from veridical perception
P4) When two perceptual experience are subjectively indistinguishable, they’re perceptual experiences of the same thing (this claims is the best explanation/hypothesis given P3)
P5) Nevertheless, except in hallucinations, it still makes sense to say we perceive the world. In both cases of both vertical perception and illusion- sense data we perceive are cause by and represent physical objects. This representation can be accurate or inaccurate in certain ways; physical objects may be as they appear to us or may differ in certain ways
C3) Therefore, we perceive physical objects indirectly- via sense data

Question 4

Indirect realism- Locke’s perceptual variation example

Answer 4

P1) The same water can produce the idea (sense datum) of cold to one hand and warm to another
P2) But the same thing can’t be warm and cold at the same time
C1) Therefore, the cold or warm can’t belong to material objects
C2) So cold and warm are purely sensations produced in the perceiver

Locke uses this experiment to show the distinction eg placing warm and cold hand in luke warm water since water itself can’t be hot and cold at the same time= warmth must be a sensation produced in us by the movement of the minute particles of water

Locke uses the distinction to argue for indirect realism. the world as we experience though sense and the world as it is ‘in itself’ (science)= different.
We all experience secondary qualities of senses, world described by science ‘particles in motion and empty space’ must mean that we don’t perceive physical objects directly

Question 5

Indirect realism- Sense data

Answer 5

• Content of visual sensation
• Exists as part of the mind= mind dependent
• Distinct from object eg table exists independently of my perception of it, immediately aware of it in perception eg colour, shape of the table
• 1) Mental things which are the way we perceive them to be= appearances, exactly as they’re seen. No more reality than appearance, opposed to physical objects themselves which can appear differently to how they are
  2) Only exist when being experienced by someone. Opposed to physical objects which exist without people experiencing them
  3) Private, no one else can experience your sense data. They are the particular sense data they are because they’re a part of your consciousness. Physical objects are public and different people can experience them

Question 6

Indirect realism- Sense data vs matter and its qualities

Answer 6

Sense data=
-What perceiver is directly aware of in perception
-They’re mind dependent
-SD/ideas caused by qualities of matter
-Ideas of primary qualities resemble the primary qualities of objects
-Ideas of secondary questions don’t resemble the secondary qualities of objects
Matter and its qualities=
-What perceiver is indirectly aware of in perception
-They’re mind independent
-Have power to cause our ideas (qualities)
-Primary qualities exist mind independently
-Secondary qualities have power to cause certain ideas as a result of the arrangement of insensible parts of matter
-So secondary qualities are reducible to the primary
-So partly defined by their power to cause certain sensations in perceiver