Summary Of Our Knowledge Of The World Around Us
Recall: In the essay “Our Knowledge of the World Around Us,” the author makes a number of points: 1) An external physical world does not exist 2) The only things that are in existence are the human brain and the ideas it generate 3) Perception is the brain’s own interpretation of what happens outside. 4) We are living in a Matrix
Summary: The author rejects the concept of common sense or what he calls as “direct realism” that holds that the world is fairly represented as it is. He argues that seeing a physical object like seeing a tree is not a simple matter, but a product of complex processes in the brain. Lastly, the author of the essay concludes that the theory of common sense (an external world exists and appears as it is) is purely an assumption. For him, there is no physical world and our perceptions of reality are just perceptual experiences that are processed by the brain. …show more content…
Rather 80 percent of of those fibers come from deep within the brain itself.” This statement is surprising and points out that our perception is not the result of the brain’s interpretation of the messages coming from the retina.
“A human brain has inputs and outputs. The inputs are signals from the person’s eyes and ears and other sense organs.” This statement conflicts with his claim that perception is a brain-dependent process. It suggests that the perception of reality is a product of the inputs of the senses.
Questions: How does the author proves his claim that there are no material objects? Is appearance different from reality? How do the brain process information? How is perceptual experience different from dreams, hallucinations and illusions? How does the author distinguish one from the other? What does he mean by
Summary: The author rejects the concept of common sense or what he calls as “direct realism” that holds that the world is fairly represented as it is. He argues that seeing a physical object like seeing a tree is not a simple matter, but a product of complex processes in the brain. Lastly, the author of the essay concludes that the theory of common sense (an external world exists and appears as it is) is purely an assumption. For him, there is no physical world and our perceptions of reality are just perceptual experiences that are processed by the brain. …show more content…
Rather 80 percent of of those fibers come from deep within the brain itself.” This statement is surprising and points out that our perception is not the result of the brain’s interpretation of the messages coming from the retina.
“A human brain has inputs and outputs. The inputs are signals from the person’s eyes and ears and other sense organs.” This statement conflicts with his claim that perception is a brain-dependent process. It suggests that the perception of reality is a product of the inputs of the senses.
Questions: How does the author proves his claim that there are no material objects? Is appearance different from reality? How do the brain process information? How is perceptual experience different from dreams, hallucinations and illusions? How does the author distinguish one from the other? What does he mean by