Perception Flashcards
Explain Plato’s theory of forms
- Plato believes we our souls existed in noumeral realm before earth
- In noumeral world there is perfect and pure forms of everything which is how we recognise different versions of them (imperfect representations). I.e. Dogs come in different forms yet we recognise all forms (hairy,smelly, big, fat, spotty etc.)
Why is perception seen as relational?
There is a relation between perceiver and the perceived object.
What is perception and why is it so important?
- One of central faculties of mind where we acquire knowledge
- Basis for all empirical knowledge
Arguments for the external world
- If object is figment of imagination and not from external world then we should be able to control sense data of it but perception of object e.g. book is involuntary
- Coherence of senses. E.g. Sight and touch of i.e.. a book, makes sense. Where I see it stops it, I feel it stop. Everything that looks like chocolate, tastes like chocolate
- Catherine Trotter: As train goes into distance noise gets quieter and smaller. Shows coherence of external world
What is the definition of sense data?
Mind dependent objects. Only exist when being perceived (temporary). Perceiver dependent and perceiver variable (different for each person)
What is skepticism?
Universal doubt on all of our former opinions, principles and faculties.
Who is a famous advocate for skepticism?
David Hume
What are Berkeley’s Responses to limitations of idealism?
- Response to how continuity happens despite us perceiving it: God’s mind is still there to perceive it and he sustains reality we perceive. God creates laws of nature and our mental reality in state of regularity. Reality is all created in the mind of God
- We can tell apart reality from hallucination and dreams due to dreams no having regularity, Oder and is not coherent like our reality
Who famously advocates idealism?
George Berkeley “To be is to be perceived”
Issues with Locke’s distinction between primary and secondary qualities
- Primary are also subject to change and inconsistencies: E.g. a building changes sized based on where we are standing and how we perceive the extension. How should the mind perceive it? What should the building look like?
- Therefore you can’t have distinction between primary and secondary qualities. Unintentionally shows that primary qualities are also mind dependent: Veil of perception is over our eyes and we can never see world directly: Therefore external world may not exist
Examples to prove John Locke’s primary and secondary qualities
- Red and white Porphyry has no colour when in the dark with no light, green with green lighting. Colour changes in different light and angles but solidity and figure is always perceived same way. Good grounds for distinction between primary and secondary. Colour is an idea.
- One person puts hand in ice vs hot coal. Ice person feels warm water, person in coal feels cool water. How can same bucket of water feel cool and warm at the same time?- Hotness and coldness does not exist in water but is sensation in our mind due to primary qualities of the water. Temp is an idea
- If you touch fire you feel pain. Pain is in body due to perception but not in the fire. Pain is an idea
Explain John Locke primary and secondary qualities
-Primary properties: Extension, number of object, Figure, motion, solidity. Mind independent (Exist in physical world external to us)
-Secondary properties: Doesn’t exist in external object but how our mind perceives primary qualities. Mind dependent: Colour, taste, smell, sound etc.
-Primary properties have powers which create secondary qualities in our mind
E.g. ice cream has physical form, extension in external world. It is colourless and tasteless but when i see it colour is produced in my mind. Bite it, taste is produced in my mind
-Only perceive world indirectly. Powers of primary objects make us see external world in very different way
Who is the famous advocate of indirect realism?
John Locke: Primary and secondary qualities
What are arguments against idealism?
- How does idealism count for continuity? If there is no external world to base ideas, what keeps my reality in such regularity? E.g. Bedroom looks the same everyday. Purely mental ideas does nor need such regularity
- How does it account for gaps in our experience? How does continuity exist without my perception of it E.g. Leave candle burning, wax has melted and smaller flame even though I left the room
- Risk of solipsism: If everything is just a mental idea then all people I experience are ideas and not real. I’m only mind that actually exists.
- If reality is all mental ideas, dreams and hallucinations are all real even if we know they’re not
- Berkeley’s assumptions only work if God exists. Without God idealism has a lot of problems so Berkeley uses God to further theory
How can we solve the issues regarding indirect realism?
Idealism- George Berkeley: NO external world, reality is a series of mental ideas. Rejection of matter, No reality outside of our mind.
