Indirect Realism

Indirect realism is the view that:

The external world exists independently of the mind but we perceive the world indirecly via sense data

indirect realism says the immediate object of perception is sense data. This sense data is caused by, and represents, the mind-independent external world.

Most philosophers who argue for indirect realism start with the problems for direct realism. The many differences between reality and our perception of it, make direct realism implausible.**

Instead, they claim that what we really perceive is sense data.

SENSE DATA

Sense data can be described as the content of perceptual experience

It is not a physical thing, it exists in the mind. However, sense data is said to be caused by mind-independent physical objects .

Sense data is private. No ones else can see your sense data

John Locke: Primary and Secondary Qualities

primary and secondary qualities are related to the idea of sense data

Primary Qualities

Secondary Qualitites

properties inherent to the object itself

They are objective

include: size, shape, motion, number

powers of an object to cause sensation in humans

They are subjective

include: colour, taste, smell, feel

Primary properties appeal to multicultural senses secondary appear to 1