Essay about In Defense of Direct Perception - 2954 Words

In Defense of Direct Perception ABSTRACT: My goal in this paper is to defend the claim that one can directly perceive an object without possessing any descriptive beliefs about this object. My strategy in defending this claim is to rebut three arguments that attack my view of direct perception. According to these arguments, the notion of direct perception as I construe it is objectionable since: (1) it is epistemically worthless since it leaves perceived objects uninterpreted; (2) it cannot explain how perceived objects are identified; and (3) it is ill-prepared to assign objective content to perceptual states. What is involved in the claim that one directly perceives an object? The notion of direct perception that I propose to†¦show more content†¦Clearly, this is a form of what many people would call indirect perception. It includes such cases as perceiving something on the basis of, or by means of, perceiving something else. And, I submit, if this is what it means for a belief to mediate ones perception of an object, it follows that there are, in fact, such things as direct perceptions, and that the object of a direct perception is an undescribed object. For, to begin with, any chain of inferences has to start somewhere; and, eventually, there has to be a belief, state of mind, or state of the world, of which one is aware, without ones having been aware of some other belief, state of mind, or state of the world beforehand. Such a belief, state of mind, or state of the world is directly, that is, noninferentially, perceived. Furthermore, suppose that the object of a direct (noninferential) perception is a described object. Since, once again, any description of an object is expressed as a belief, and since we are assuming here that the way for a belief to mediate ones perception of an object is by means of an inference, this means that the belief expressing the description is playing an inferential role in perceiving the object—which contradicts our assumption that the object of perception is uninferred. And so, by reductio, the object of a directShow MoreRelatedEdward Luttwak s Analysis On Military Force, Military Power, Policy, And Deterrence Essay1355 Words   |  6 Pagesdescribes military power as the perception of a state’s capability to impose unacceptable consequences on other actors, enabling the state to gain compliance without the actual use of force. This definition recognizes that the ability to use force is essential to create the perception of power. However, since power allows a state to gain compliance without using force, it does not consume resources the way direct military action would. 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