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The Nature of Knowledge
Quick questions on Perception as a source of knowledge explained: H2 Knowledge and Inquiry
7short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is direct realism?Show answer
Direct realism says that in ordinary perception we are immediately aware of physical objects and their properties: the table, its brown colour, its solidity. There is no intermediary. This fits common sense and explains why perception is so useful. Its difficulty is accounting for cases where perception misleads us, since it claims we are directly in touch with the object as it is.
What is indirect (representative) realism?Show answer
Indirect realism says we perceive physical objects only indirectly, by being directly aware of mental intermediaries (often called sense-data or appearances) that represent them. This explains illusion easily: what we are immediately aware of is the appearance, which can misrepresent the object. The cost is a veil of perception: if all we ever directly access is our own appearances, how can we know they correspond to anything beyond them, or that an external world exists at all? This invites scepticism.
What is idealism?Show answer
Idealism takes the more radical step of denying mind-independent matter altogether. On this view, to be is to be perceived: physical objects just are stable, lawful collections of ideas or experiences. Idealism dissolves the veil problem (there is no hidden matter to fail to reach) but at the heavy price of denying that there is a world existing independently of minds, which strikes most people as too revisionary.
What is the argument from illusion?Show answer
The argument from illusion is the main engine driving people away from direct realism. A partly submerged straight stick looks bent. Since the stick is not bent, what looks bent must be something else, an appearance or sense-datum. Because illusory and veridical experiences can be subjectively identical, the argument generalises: we are always immediately aware of appearances, not objects.
What is q1?Show answer
Distinguish direct realism, indirect realism and idealism in one sentence each. [6 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Explain the veil-of-perception problem facing indirect realism. [8 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Explain what is meant by the theory-ladenness of observation and give an example. [6 marks]
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