Philosophical Views on Reality Quiz

External Reality and Perception

• The author denies the existence of an external reality independent of perception.
• The concept "To be is to be perceived" suggests that existence hinges on being observed or experienced.

Primary Qualities and Physical Existence

• The rejection of primary qualities implies that physical properties do not exist outside of perception.
• The text indicates that the existence of the physical world is sustained through collective perception and agreement among observers.

Reality and Experience

• Reality is intertwined with perception; it posits that what one perceives shapes their understanding of existence.
• Experiences are recorded in the brain as neural changes triggered by the sensory information received over time.

Ideas Formation and Behavior

• A process of association is responsible for converting simple ideas into complex ideas, utilizing learned patterns.
• Involuntary behaviors gradually become voluntary through repeated practice and reinforcement of habits.

Hartley's Associationism

• Hartley's brand of associationism focused primarily on how mental processes link through associations formed by experiences.
• This approach was considered the authoritative psychological account for an extended period.

Complex Ideas and Philosophical Goals

• Hartley believed that complex ideas form by the combination of simpler sensations; he aimed to explain these phenomena through association.
• 'Vibratiuncles' are the vibrations in the nervous system that Hartley posited as essential in linking sensory experiences to ideas.

Application of Association Laws

• Hartley applied the laws of association to demonstrate how voluntary behaviors could be shaped through experience and reinforcement.
• Contrarily, John B. Watson dismissed Hartley's views by emphasizing a behaviorist perspective focused on observable actions over internal thoughts.

Validation and Scientific Approach

• Hartley’s ideas regarding behavior development found validation in later psychological research.
• The scientist's job in describing the physical world involves forming hypotheses based on observable, empirical evidence.

Philosophical Contributions

• James Mill asserted that all mental events consist of simple sensory experiences, while John Stuart Mill disagreed, arguing for the possibility of complex ideas being distinct.
• Mill proposed that complex ideas could arise from unique arrangements of simple ideas rather than mere combinations.

Positivism and Scientific Hierarchy

• According to Positivism, science should study observable phenomena rather than abstract concepts or metaphysics.
• Comte emphasized a structured hierarchy of sciences, placing sociology at the pinnacle of this hierarchy as the most comprehensive field.

Ernst Mach and Mental Phenomena

• Ernst Mach focused on the empirical nature of sensations in his second type of positivism, often regarding them as primary data for scientific inquiry.
• The belief that all mental phenomena can be explained by laws of association supports the reductionist view championed by earlier philosophers and psychologists.

Reduction of Psychology

• Comte's reduction of psychology centered on aligning it closely with other physical sciences, emphasizing the need for empirical validation and systematic study.

Test your knowledge on different philosophical views on reality, including concepts such as external reality, perceptions, primary and secondary qualities, and the role of God in giving existence to the physical world.