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6 Cards in this Set
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*Berkeley's Idealism |
He called sense data, and what we're immediately aware of ideas. Physical objects don't exist independently of the mind, in reality they are collections of such ideas. There is no external world beyond our perception. Through vision we perceive colour, shape size through sound smell, taste etc. Each sense produces other qualities. When we perceive a physical object we don't perceive anything in addition to it's primary and secondary qualities. Therefore everything we perceive is primary and secondary qualities Primary and secondary qualities are mind dependent Therefore everything we perceive exists independently of the mind - they are mind dependent |
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*The Master Argument |
Thoughts don't exist outside the mind, they are psychological events or states. Therefore my thinking of a tree is mind independent. The thinking of a tree is impossible when no one is thinking of a tree But my thought of a tree isn't the same as the tree itself Therefore just because my thinking of a tree is mind dependent. This doesn't mean what I'm thinking is also mind dependent. However it's not impossible to think that a tree exist while no one is thinking of it. |
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Criticism of Berkeley's Idealism: Idealism doesn't give an adequate account of illusions and hallucinations |
Perceptual experiences can be more or less clear or dim. More or less connected with other experiences. The difference between hallucination and perception is difference in kind. Hallucinations - you don't perceive something outside the mind. Perception - Experience something outside the mind, the ideas you perceive originate from God, whereas in hallucinations they don't. |
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Criticism of Berkeley's Idealism: Idealism cannot secure objective space and time |
Realism acquires physical objects to exist in objective space and time. We can extend this claim and state that for there for to be an objective space and time there need to be mind independent physical objects But Berkeley argues physical objects are ideas and there is no gap between appearance and reality/ The physical objects I experience but exist in the space and time I experience |
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Criticism of Berkeley's Idealism: The trap of solipsism |
Indirect realism committment to the idea that I only have access to my sense data through my mind has lead to the scepicism about the external world- Idealism has fallen into solipsism My experience amount to an extended dream I cannot know about the existence beyond my experience, namely the external world and other people |
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Criticism of Berkeley's Idealism: God plays His role |
1. What I perceive is in my mind, not God's. 2. God can't have the perceptual experiences that I have. He does't perceive what I do and doesn't have sensations. 3. The ordinary objects of perception can change and go, whereas God is unchanging and eternal. 4. Therefore what I perceive couldn't be part of God's mind. 1. What I perceive is a copy of the ideas in God's mind. 2. The physical objects in God's mind aren't seen as perceptions, they are God's understanding. He may not feel pain but he can understand what it feels like. 3. The whole of creation exists in God's mind. 4. What I perceive, which changes , is what God wills me to perceive. Things come into existence when God decides they able to be perceived by intelligent creatures. |
