The Philosophy of Perception : an explanation of Realism, Idealism and the Nature of Reality
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the universe is observer dependent and that no reality independent of the observer is knowable to the observer, drawing on the realism-idealism debate, quantum physics, and studies of animal senses, neurology, and cognitive psychology. Contends that recognizing an observer-dependent world would lead to a more open-minded and tolerant world. |
Abstract
This paper investigates the nature of reality by looking at the philosophical debate between realism and idealism and at scientific investigations in quantum physics and at recent studies of animal senses, neurology and cognitive psychology. The concept of perceptual relativity is examined and this involves looking at sense perception in other animals and various examples of perceptual relativity in science. It will be concluded that the universe is observer dependent and that there is no reality independent of the observer, which is knowable to the observer. The paper concludes by an investigation of what an observer dependent universe would be like and that recognition of an observer dependent world would lead to a more open minded and tolerant world.