PHL Ch. 6

• What is the argument from perspectival variation?

  The argument from perspectival variation states that if you look at a rigid cube from different angles, what you see changes shape but the cube does not. Therefore, what you see is not a cube. According to indirect realists, this is because the light from the cube produces a mental image in your mind of what shape the cube is depending on what angle you’re viewing it at. Therefore, you are not viewing the cube, but the mental image that is produced when the light from the cube reaches your retina. 
• What is the difference between direct realism and indirect realism?

  Direct realism is the idea that we can see material objects directly, while indirect realism says that when we view material objects, we are really viewing the mental image produced by the light from the object. For example, when we look at a cube, direct realists say we are directly viewing the cube itself, while indirect realists say we aren’t viewing the cube but rather the mental image of a cube. 
• Explain Locke's distinction between primary and secondary qualities.

  Primary qualities, such as shapes, solidity, motion and rest, are observable characteristics that really exist and resemble the objects being observed, while secondary qualities such as colors, tastes, and heat are observable qualities produced by the viewer and do not really exist in the object being observed and don’t actually resemble what the object looks like. 
• Why Did Locke Think That Heat Is A Secondary Quality?

  Locke thought that heat is a secondary quality because the idea of heat does not resemble heat itself, such as the word “porcupine” represents porcupines, but the word cannot resemble the animal itself. You can never confuse the word porcupine with the animal, as you cannot confuse the perception/one’s idea of heat with the actual physical sensation of heat.
• What was Berkeley's complaint about Locke's ideas about the distinction between primary and secondary qualities?

  Berkeley complains the distinction between primary and secondary qualities is not sustainable, and materialists like Locke must concede at some point that even primary qualities only exist within the mind and do not resemble material objects. 
• What is the view that Berkeley called “materialism,” and why did Berkeley reject it?

  Materialism is the claim that material objects existed. Berkeley rejected this idea and embraced idealism, which is the claim that material objects don’t exist. He argued that people and animals have different visual systems that greatly impact how we view objects. As a result, Berkeley concluded that all qualities such as these must originate in the mind, and there is no right answer to who is right when it comes to the correct color or shade of a piece of clothing.