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    The concept of something that exists but is unperceived i... — Carmelics
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    Home/Perception
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    The concept of something that exists but is unperceived is a contradiction in terms.

    Modality & Possibility
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.The existence of an idea consists in being perceived (esse est percipi).
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    • 2.The only objects that exist for a mind are ideas, because there is nothing else that can exist for the mind.
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    • 3.If existence is restricted to what is perceived, then unperceived existence is conceptually impossible.
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Kant's transcendental idealism distinguishes between appearances (phenomena) and things-in-themselves (noumena), where the latter exist independently of any perceiver.
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    • 2.If noumena are coherently posited as causally responsible for experience, then unperceived existence is not contradictory but is instead a necessary postulate of cognition.
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    • 3.Berkeley's argument conflates the conditions under which we can *know* objects with the conditions under which objects *exist*, committing an epistemic-to-ontological inference error.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Bertrand Russell's distinction between knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description allows for coherent reference to entities never directly perceived by any mind.
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    • 2.If we can meaningfully describe and reason about unobserved electrons, remote planets, or past events, then the concept of unperceived existence carries no internal contradiction.
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    • 3.Berkeley's premise that 'existence consists in being perceived' is itself an unperceived metaphysical claim, generating a self-refuting performative contradiction.
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    Topics

    PerceptionModality & Possibility

    Connections

    1 topic

    Consciousness & Mind2 linked

    Related

    Berkeley's argument conflates the conditions under which we can *know* objects w...Berkeley's premise that 'existence consists in being perceived' is itself an unp...Bertrand Russell's distinction between knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge b...If existence is restricted to what is perceived, then unperceived existence is c...
    +5 moreShow less
    If noumena are coherently posited as causally responsible for experience, then u...If we can meaningfully describe and reason about unobserved electrons, remote pl...Kant's transcendental idealism distinguishes between appearances (phenomena) and...The existence of an idea consists in being perceived (esse est percipi).The only objects that exist for a mind are ideas, because there is nothing else ...

    Similar

    If existence is restricted to what is perceived, then unperceived exis...86%What is designated by unintelligible and self-contradictory concepts c...82%To say that absolute nonexistence in some fashion exists is to contrad...80%The impossibility of a material being being conscious is not grounded ...80%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: idealism
    View source passageHide passage
    From these stipulations he derives his most fundamental and famous claim (1) that “the existence of an idea consists in being perceived” (1710: Part I, §2) or that “their esse is percipi” (1710: Part I, §3) by the perceiving, active mind. Already here Berkeley has the means in place to cast into doubt the meaningfulness of the assumption that there might exist unperceived objects or things. This is due to his restriction of existence to what is perceivable or, even narrower, to what is perceived
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit