Philosophy of Perception

What is Direct (Naïve) Realism?

The view that we directly perceive objects in the world just as they are.

What are some problems with Direct Realism?

1. Illusions and hallucinations: These are perceptual experiences that do not correspond to reality, challenging the idea that we perceive the world directly.

2. Perceptual distortions (e.g., Müller-Lyer Illusion): Show how the brain can misinterpret identical stimuli.

Why do illusions undermine direct realism?

Because if perception can be mistaken (as in illusions), then our perception isn't always of the world as it truly is, which contradicts direct realism.

What is Representationalism?

The theory that perceptual experiences are internal representations of the external world. Illusions and hallucinations occur when these representations misrepresent reality.

What is John Locke’s Representational Model of Perception?

There are primary and secondary qualities that we percieve.

What are John Locke’s primary qualities?

Inherent properties of objects (e.g., solidity, motion) that resemble the ideas they cause in us.

What are John Locke’s secondary qualities?

Powers of objects to produce sensations (e.g., color, taste), which do not resemble anything in the objects themselves.

What does the 'Relativity of Perception' suggest?

Perception can vary between species (e.g., animals seeing different color ranges), indicating that perception is not purely objective.

What is the 'Veil of Perception'?

A metaphor for the idea that we only have access to our representations of the world, not the world itself—leading to skepticism about the existence of the external world.

What is a reductive approach to perception?

Reducing sensory qualities (like color or heat) to physical properties (like wavelength or kinetic energy).

What is the Three Bucket Experiment and what does it show?

Placing one hand in hot water, another in cold, then both in lukewarm creates conflicting sensations in one bucket. This challenges the idea that perception tracks physical reality directly.

What is George Berkeley’s Idealism?

• Denies the distinction between primary and secondary qualities.

• Argues that all qualities are ideas in the mind.

• Rejects the existence of material objects independent of perception.

What does "Esse est percipi" mean in Berkeley’s Idealism?

"To be is to be perceived" – objects only exist insofar as they are perceived.

Why does Berkeley deny the existence of mind-independent objects?

1. Interaction problem: How can material and immaterial substances interact?

2. Justification issue: We only have access to our experiences, so we can’t justify the existence of objects outside of them.

According to Berkeley, what causes our perceptions if not material objects?

God. Since we cannot cause all our perceptions ourselves, a benevolent and omnipresent being (God) must.

What is intentionalism in the context of perception?

The theory that all perceptual experiences are intentional—they are about something and have representational content.

What are the components of intentional representation?

1. Intentionality: The aboutness of the experience.

2. Representational vehicle: The medium or structure that carries the representation.

3. Representational content: What the experience represents.

4. Mismatch: The representation doesn’t necessarily share the properties of what it represents.