Knowledge of the External World (Direct Realism, Indirect Realism & Idealism)

Wait Til These Guys Get On My Level

You never forget where you were when you first heard of Bishop Berkeley.

Indirect realism sounds like transcendental idealism

That's the problem. People perceive TRUTH depending on the angle they looking at it

What complete nonsense. It has not been shown that the external world is devoid of colours, sounds and odours. And to suppose a direct realist claims that what we see is what the external world is exactly like is a straw man. Direct realism simply means that we directly perceive the external world, we do not perceive an image representing that external world.

Waah, soo good thanks 💗

😮

The direct realist is right, it is part of the external world. At that instance, at that point in time, the thing you are perceiving is in fact that thing, which is why you can perceive it like that at all.

I think the 'gaps in our knowledge' problem with idealism is one of the best affirmations of realism. If there is no external reality, how is it that when we leave a candle in a room and come back several hours later, we all perceive the candle to have burned down to the same level? Everyone's mind somehow 'knows' what happened to the candle while they weren't watching, so all minds perceive the candle the same way in its changed state? Resorting to the existence of a god who implants the same perception in all minds, or somehow is identical with all minds, seems like a desperate argument. The far more intuitive and simpler explanation for why we all perceive the burned candle the same way is that there really is a burned candle out there, and we simply perceive it how it is.

The other argument I find very convincing is John Searle's, from 'Seeing Things As They Are'. He points out that idealism commits a basic mistake, which is to say that we see mental images, rather than real objects. The mistake is that this is equivalent to saying that we 'see the seeing', which is obviously wrong, as the 'seeing' is simply the process by which we perceive the object, not the object itself.

Opposition to direct realism (vulgar materialism) and idealism are based on arguments of absurdity. Opposition to indirect realism (dialectical materialism) are based on, "waaaa waaaa makes me feel sad I wanna know for sure waaaa waaaa."

Idealism is a human-centric concept.

I study philosophy at university and I am doing a work on this topic right now. This video is really helpful! It sums up a lot of good and important ideas. Great job! Keep it going! :)

Brilliant video, I’ve been trying to explain idealism to my family and peers but always find that having learned it in academia makes it hard to translate. I will be sharing this with them to make it easier.

Thanx for your videos.

amazing video!!!

Wonderful explanation! I was trying to find the term “indirect realism” for years. Now I’ve finally found it. When I tell people, “reality is not reality”, they are often surprised and could never understand what I mean.

Is there anything in the world that John agrees with?

British crossword puzzle clue: "A duck after tea? What nonsense!"
Answer: TWADDLE

both are clean-shaved here

Without a doubt the most entertaining and informative philosophy videos ive ever watched.

Berkeley accounts for the continuity of ideas in his theory of idealism with the existence of God. The room still exists when you walk out because God's mind is there to perceive it. This still agrees with the idea that everything around us is mind dependent as God's mind is the one perceiving everything around us which "maintains" everything in existence.

His red pasties are pretty cool

Okay and at long last I understand why George Berkeley resorted to idealism and stated that God was necessary as The Great perceiver, it's starting to come together now. Thanks.

The greatest theory of knowledge of the external world is Kant's critical idealism not even mentioned here. What a pity...

It's more like that external world is like a server of a online multiplayer game , all players have to have the software and hardware compatible to connect, send and receive data from that server, it will make sure that users actions and interactions are kept in order so no user could cheat or change the rules of the game.


If only those old philosophers knew about computer systems then, we would have an almost perfect simulation theory today. :D

Really helped me with my homework although th characters are a little creepy

Maybe the only mind that exists is God's mind (masquerading as many minds, i.e. our minds)-- there is your answer to solipsism. You're welcome. lol

We need this in politics

Unsettling characters, but decent discussion

Subtitles could have been more helpful.

you make very good and logical videos...keep making them

Amazing Videos, Philosophy Vibe! I LOVE your channel. It's so helpful!

I feel a little bit smarter now thanks

Are you also going to talk about idealist philosophers other than Berkeley, like Hegel or Bradley? And what about antirealism/constructivism?

is it the same guy voicing over lol

Could you do plato's theory of the forms next time plz

I want all my arguments to be like this

Will you cover the rest of AS ethics like you have done for Philosophy please?

Great video

The article on skepticism at Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy takes this topic to amazing levels, this video is a really good short introduction to that article.

Idealism, I refute thee thus: *stubs toe on stone

love your videos!