Naive realism

Naive realism, also known as direct realism or common sense realism, is a philosophical doctrine that posits the belief that the senses provide us with direct awareness of the external world. In contrast to phenomenalism, subjective idealism, and other forms of representationalism, naive realism asserts that the objects of perception are not mental constructs or ideas, but exist independently of the perceiver's mind.

Overview

Naive realism is a common sense theory of perception. Most people, until they start reflecting philosophically, are naive realists. This theory is also known as "direct realism" or "common sense realism". Naive realism claims that the world is pretty much as common sense would have it. All objects are composed of matter, they occupy space, and have properties such as size, shape, texture, smell, taste and colour.

History

The concept of naive realism has a long history, dating back to ancient philosophers such as Aristotle and Democritus. It was further developed by medieval thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas, and has been a central theme in modern philosophy, particularly in the work of philosophers such as John Locke and David Hume.

Criticisms

Naive realism has been criticized by a number of philosophers. One of the main criticisms is that it fails to account for illusions and hallucinations, which suggest that our perception of the world is not always accurate. Another criticism is that naive realism assumes a one-to-one correspondence between the world and our perception of it, which is contradicted by findings in psychology and neuroscience.

See also

• Philosophy of perception
• Epistemology
• Metaphysics
• Idealism
• Materialism