Epistemology and Realism

A set of flashcards covering key concepts related to epistemology, critical realism, and other philosophical positions discussed in the lecture.

Primary Qualities

Qualities that reside in bodies and are perceived as they really are, according to Locke.

Secondary Qualities

Qualities that reside only in our minds and do not reflect the physical reality of objects.

Critical Realism

The philosophical view that our experiences may at times conflict with the physical world but that some resemblances exist between perceptions and reality.

Hypercritical Realism (Scientific Realism)

The view that the physical world’s existence relies on a perceiver and that common sense qualities depend on our perceptual faculties.

Rationalism

An epistemological position asserting that reason is the primary source of knowledge.

Empiricism

An epistemological position claiming that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience.

Phenomenalism

The view that physical objects cannot justifiably be said to exist without being perceived.

Common Sense Realism

The belief that the world we perceive is pretty much as it is, regardless of personal perspective.

Epistemology

The study of knowledge, its nature, justification, and the means of acquiring it.

Scientific Experience

An advanced form of experience that relies on sophisticated methods and theories to validate claims about reality.