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Full Idea
When the form of red passes from an object to the eye, the air in between does not become red.
Gist of Idea
When a red object is viewed, the air in between does not become red
Source
Howard Robinson (Perception [1994], 1.2)
Book Ref
Robinson,Howard: 'Perception' [Routledge 2001], p.7
A Reaction
This strikes me as a crucial and basic fact which must be faced by any philosopher offering a theory of perception. I would have thought it instantly eliminated any sort of direct or naïve realism. The quale of red is created by my brain.
| 3958 | Since our ideas vary when the real things are said to be unchanged, they cannot be true copies [Berkeley] |
| 4758 | Naïve realism leads to physics, but physics then shows that naïve realism is false [Russell] |
| 5677 | Naïve direct realists hold that objects retain all of their properties when unperceived [Dancy,J] |
| 6485 | When a red object is viewed, the air in between does not become red [Robinson,H] |
| 3875 | If reality is just what we perceive, we would have no need for a sixth sense [PG] |