Physical Objects, Which Exist Independently of us, are the Immediate Objects of Perception. Discuss

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“Physical Objects, Which Exist Independently of us, are the Immediate Objects of Perception.’ Discuss (30 Marks)

The theory of perception which the title is based on is direct realism. This type of realism is also known as “naïve realism” or common sense theory of perception. Direct realism claims that the world is pretty much as it appears to our senses. Every object is made up of matter; they occupy space, and have various geometric properties such as size, shape and also other properties such as texture, smell, taste and colour. Also according to direct realism, all of these properties are perceived directly. This essentially means that when we look at or touch something, we see and feel those things themselves and so observe them as they really are.

On the other hand, the view that contrasts this type of realism is known as indirect realism, also known as “representative realism”. Indirect realists agree with the direct realists that the world is made up of material objects which occupy space, and that these materials possess certain independently existing properties. This dedication to the real existence of matter with real properties is what makes them both “realists”. However, the difference arises in the perception of these objects. The representative realist disagrees with the direct realist on whether we perceive the properties of matter directly. Indirect realists distinguish our sensations from the objects that are perceived. The claim here is that, there is a mental component, the way in which objects appear to the observer, and then the objects as it is in reality. For representative realists, sensations are a representation, or picture of the world. This simply means that we have images in our minds that represent the real world.

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In this essay, I will argue that representative realism is far more plausible than direct realism, by defending versions of the argument from illusion and the argument for secondary qualities. One method of attacking direct realism is by looking at perceptual illusions. An example would be the stick in the water. If you half submerge a stick in water, and look at it from one side, it will look bent, even though it hasn’t changed shape. If we were to see the stick directly then the stick in the water would just look like a normal stick, however it looks ...

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