How convincing is indirect realism? [15 marks]


	How convincing is indirect realism? [15 marks]
	Advantages 2. Coherence of the senses: Locke argues our senses, like sight and sound, can match to verify reality. I can have a book in front of me, and with sense coherence, I can see where the book is but also feel where the book is. 3. Sense experience is not optional: I do not choose to see sunlight during the day or hear a neighbour’s music at night. This means that I am not the creator of sense data, but that it must be something external, giving an argument for an external world. 4. Russell’s idea that an external world is the best explanation for the sense data we receive: We may never be able to prove that an external world exists, but with Russell’s idea of a best explanation, an external world seems to be logical and the best hypothesis for the cause and reason for sense data.	Disadvantages 1. Skepticism: To know our sense data accurately represents the external world or even that the external world exists, we would have to compare sense experience and the external world. We would have to rise above the veil of perception and out of our sense experience to take a God-like view of the world. As it is not possible to do this, indirect realism can cause skepticism about the existence and nature of the external world.
	Evaluation To conclude, indirect realism can be thought of as convincing as despite an argument against it, it has multiple logical responses in favour of it.

2. Coherence of the senses: Locke argues our senses, like sight and sound, can match to verify reality. I can have a book in front of me, and with sense coherence, I can see where the book is but also feel where the book is.
3. Sense experience is not optional: I do not choose to see sunlight during the day or hear a neighbour’s music at night. This means that I am not the creator of sense data, but that it must be something external, giving an argument for an external world.
4. Russell’s idea that an external world is the best explanation for the sense data we receive: We may never be able to prove that an external world exists, but with Russell’s idea of a best explanation, an external world seems to be logical and the best hypothesis for the cause and reason for sense data.

1. Skepticism: To know our sense data accurately represents the external world or even that the external world exists, we would have to compare sense experience and the external world. We would have to rise above the veil of perception and out of our sense experience to take a God-like view of the world. As it is not possible to do this, indirect realism can cause skepticism about the existence and nature of the external world.

To conclude, indirect realism can be thought of as convincing as despite an argument against it, it has multiple logical responses in favour of it.

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