Consciousness vs intuition

So you're a direct realist:

Direct realism (also called naïve or common sense realism) is the philosophical theory that we perceive the physical world directly, with physical objects and their properties existing independently of our minds and being experienced without any mental intermediaries like "sense-data".
- gemini

This entails that you think everything your perceive is exactly as perceived. It makes no exceptions for illusions, hallucinations, etc..

If you're bought into that, there's nothing left to talk about.

Quote:This entails that you think everything your perceive is exactly as perceived. It makes no exceptions for illusions, hallucinations,

I accept our common definition of consciousness and knowing as the consciousness and knowing of something real. If hallucinating were a form of knowing, it wouldn't be hallucinating anymore but a form of consciousness.

So do you think hallucination is a form a knowing, or that there are limits to human perception that mean direct realism cannot be true?

No..hallucinating isn't knowing anything. That's why we call it hallucinating.

Then there are limits to human perception, that obviously do not reliably allow us to know a thing in itself just from sight.

I don' see how "Then there are limits to human perception.."
follows from "hallucinating isn't knowing anything"

(Aug 2, 2026 07:09 AM)Syne Wrote: Then there are limits to human perception, that obviously do not reliably allow us to know a thing in itself just from sight.

While there are obvious limits to perception, it certainly has nothing to do with the fact that hallucinations aren't real. But as far as knowing about things themselves, perception totally suffices.

What about mirages, illusions, Fata Morgana, holograms, etc? All real visual effects but not at all what they appear to be.

(Aug 2, 2026 04:19 PM)Syne Wrote: What about mirages, illusions, Fata Morgana, holograms, etc? All real visual effects but not at all what they appear to be.

You're not perceiving those things because they're not real and "there". You're misperceiving them.

Hence perception is not reliable for ascertaining what something really is.