PHIL1003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Solipsism, Empirical Evidence, Subjective Idealism
Empiricism: Idea-ism, Idealism, Locke and Berkeley
• Roots in scepticism
o Infinite regress of justification
o Dogmatists – rationalists and empiricists
o Empiricist response to skeptical challenge – trust what the sense tell you.
Our sense immediately tell us that our observation statements are true
▪ The senses are revelatory – clear windows out onto the world of
reality
▪ Problems – incompatible appearances, possibility of dreams,
hallucinations, illusions. Scepticism again
▪ A solution: abandon naïve empiricism
• Idea-ism
o Elaborated by Locke, Berkeley and Hume in 17th & 18th centuries
o The new way of ideas – in C known as sense-data theory
o Musgrave calls it idea-ism – not to be confused with idealism
o Idea-ism is epistemological; idealism ontological or metaphysical
▪ Not to be confused with the clear & distinct ideas from Descartes,
which are intellectual intuitions
o The immediate information the sense give us is never wrong
o Data of perception are reified – turned into the things of which I am
immediately aware
o Now I am having a visual idea/sensation/sense-datum of green grass
o Implications - we are not directly acquainted with external objects
o Is there an argument for idea-ism?
▪ Advantages: helps with the skeptical challenge
• An argument for idea-ism (Musgrave)
o P1: I am directly aware, via my sense, of either sense-data or external
(mind-independent) objects
o P2: I am not directly aware, via my senses, of external objects (time lapse)
o C: I am directly aware, via my senses, of sense-data
• Breaking down the argument:
o Time lapse argument (P2)
▪ P1: To say that one can (directly) perceive or be aware of what may
no longer exist is absurd
▪ P2: The external object may no longer exist (since there is a time
lapse between the light reflected from it and the light entering my
eye, causing the perception)
▪ C: It is absurd to suppose that I (directly) perceive or am aware of
external objects
• The problem of appearance and reality
o Can we establish, on the basis of idea or sense data, what reality is like?
(Musgrave)
▪ 1. Can I be sure, on the basis of ideas or sense-data what the real
colour, shape, size, etc. of a thing is?
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Document Summary
Empiricism: idea-ism, idealism, locke and berkeley: roots in scepticism, infinite regress of justification reality. Idea-ism: elaborated by locke, berkeley and hume in 17th & 18th centuries hallucinations, illusions. Scepticism again: a solution: abandon na ve empiricism. Can i be sure, on the basis of ideas or sense-data what the real colour, shape, size, etc. of a thing is: 2. John locke: 1632-1704, took over distinction between primary and secondary qualities, primary qualities: shape, size, weight, motion/rest, number, secondary qualities: colour, sounds, taste, smell, texture, heat, cold, primary qualities are inherent to objects inseparable from matter. Primary qualities in the objects resemble our ideas of primary qualities: secondary qualities are powers in the objects to produce non-resembling ideas in us. Secondary qualities in the objects (the powers) do not resemble our ideas of the secondary qualities (familiar colours, sounds, etc. : we indirectly perceive the qualities of material objects via the veil of ideas.
