Perception/Reality

Question 1

What is Ontology?

Answer 1

‘be-ing’

nature of reality as a whole, fitting together

Question 2

What is Epistemology?

Answer 2

‘knowledge’

issues of perception and understanding

Question 3

Ontology

Epistemology

Answer 3

IMPLICIT epistemology (knowledge of world)
IMPLICIT ontology (assumptions of reality)

Question 4

Epistemology

Answer 4

a) perception of things/events
b) knowledge about events, degree of certainty
c) judgements about truth of ideas
what METHODOLOGY we need to perceive, discern and gain knowledge

Question 5

Realism

Answer 5

‘outside’ world and is knowable

Question 6

Scepticism

Answer 6

view ‘real’ world isn’t knowable

Question 7

Idealism

Answer 7

no seperate ‘real world’

Question 8

Representationalism

Phenomenal realism

Answer 8

speak less of direct modes of access to world
‘agnostic’ scepticism: possibility of knowledge
extreme scepticism: knowledge of world is impossible

Question 9

Scepticism

Answer 9

related to solipsism

solipsism: no access to outside world, only me

Question 10

Naive Realism

Answer 10

perception of physical objects is simple and direct
tastes, sounds ,colours aren’t in heads of perceivers, real qualities
mind: high-quality photocopier

Question 11

Scepticism: Critiquing Naive Realism

Answer 11

Descartes: mind separated from external world including body

sceptical arguments are evidence of naive realism inadequacies

Question 12

Sceptical arguments: Illusion

Answer 12

Undermines naive instinctual trust in senses evidence
- Material things present different appearances to different observers
- To same observer in different conditions
- Different appearances can’t correspond to reality, some perceptions must be illusionary
Perception isn’t presentation but re-presentation

Question 13

Sceptical arguments: Dreaming

Answer 13

We may be dreaming (Descartes)
a) Perceptions within dreams= delusions
b) not sure if I am dreaming 
c) it's not certain my perceptions are veridical 
May be hallucinating at any moment

Question 14

Sceptical arguments: Thought experiments

Answer 14

• No way of being certain that this isn’t the case, if it is= bear no similarity to reality
• My reality may be a cruel experiment (brain floating in vat sitting on topic of lab bench) = stimulates illusions

Question 15

Claims of Global Scepticism

Answer 15

• True knowledge is certain knowledge
• If I truly know something, I can’t be mistaken about anything
• I can know nothing

Question 16

Global Scepticism: Problems

Answer 16

• Humans believe we are in touch with real world

- Can’t function if we took possibility of universal error seriously

Question 17

Global Scepticism: Defence

Answer 17

a) live as if sense were in touch with real world
b) can’t bring ourselves to believe it, doesn’t show global scepticism is false
- Can’t Incorporate = logically unavoidable
Logical problem: self refuting, know for sure that nothing can be known

Question 18

1. Ontological solipsism

Answer 18

Nothing other than self, self is identical with reality

- “I” implies distinction between myself and what isn’t myself

Question 19

2. Dogmatic epistemological solipsism

Answer 19

Impossibility of making contact with anything beyond self

Impossibility (perception)= no access to things other than self

Question 20

3. Agnostic epistemological solipsism

Answer 20

Never sure if there is reality beyond myself, I can’t be certain I am not alone in universe

Question 21

Solipsism

Answer 21

Experience reality from ourselves
If we lose consciousness= world disappears with it
Problem of other minds:
Can’t gain first perspectives view on anyone else but us
Analogy: from behaviour and communication

Question 22

Representationalism

Answer 22

Subjective representations of external world

what we see isn’t actual what it is

Question 23

Representationalism: two-stage

Answer 23

a) object in world ‘presents’ itself
b) mind (with senses) comes with mental representation of object
Difference between seeing game of football ~ Watching on TV
Necessitated by Cartesian Dualism: physical and mental events are seperate

Question 24

Locke

Answer 24

Primary:
Size, shape of object
(Ball is spherical)
Secondary:
Colours, Smell, Taste
(Greenness of grass isn’t in grass but the mind)
Ayre accepts Cartesian distinction between object (reality) and mind (images)

Question 25

Representationalism: Problems

Answer 25

Scepticism isn’t dealt with
Conscious subjects barred from reality
Perception of world is open to error

Question 26

Kant

Answer 26

Didn’t deny existence of real (material) things

No access to reality, see phenomena how it appears

Question 27

Phenomenal Realism: Sorting out the mess

Answer 27

• No evil demon deceiving us
• Perceive reality as phenomena
• reality is seen differently by each observer, same observer at different times

Question 28

Berkley

Answer 28

Dogmatic “absolute idealist”:

no material substances only perceptions