Coherence/Correspondence and Realism

J. Scott JordanJ. Scott JordanDepartment of PsychologyDepartment of Psychology

Illinois State UniversityIllinois State UniversityNormal, ILNormal, IL

jsjorda@ilstu.edujsjorda@ilstu.edu

The Correspondence Model

RR rrBig RealBig Real Little RealLittle Real

Really real treesReally real trees Sort of real treesSort of real trees

Objective treesObjective trees Subjective treesSubjective trees

Observer-independent treesObserver-independent trees Observer-dependent treesObserver-dependent trees

The Correspondence Model

Benefits:Benefits:CorpuscularityCorpuscularity

Non-phenomenal Non-phenomenal thingnessthingness

Newtonian Newtonian causalitycausality

Costs:Costs:Assumed Assumed CorpuscularityCorpuscularity

AssumedAssumed Non-phenomenal Non-phenomenal thingnessthingness

Assumed Assumed Newtonian causalityNewtonian causality

Radical SkepticismRadical Skepticism

The Correspondence Model

Berkley: Empiricism = IdealismBerkley: Empiricism = Idealism

Quantum Physics: Context-independenceQuantum Physics: Context-independence

Jordan: Corpuscularity requires non-process Jordan: Corpuscularity requires non-process

One should be radically skeptic about the One should be radically skeptic about the existence of a non-phenomenal realm that lies existence of a non-phenomenal realm that lies

behind and causes the phenomenalbehind and causes the phenomenal

Brains in a vat….Brains in a vat….

The Correspondence Model

The Correspondence Model

Benefits:Benefits:CorpuscularityCorpuscularity

Non-phenomenal Non-phenomenal thingnessthingness

Newtonian Newtonian causalitycausality

Costs:Costs:Assumed Assumed CorpuscularityCorpuscularity

AssumedAssumed Non-phenomenal Non-phenomenal thingnessthingness

Assumed Assumed Newtonian causalityNewtonian causality

Radical SkepticismRadical SkepticismEpiphenomenalism:Epiphenomenalism: (Chalmers, 1996)(Chalmers, 1996)

Order I feel to be mineOrder I feel to be mineOrder I feel to beOrder I feel to be not not mine mine

Correspondence Correspondence callscalls it it R R: : observer-independent objectivityobserver-independent objectivity

Correspondence Correspondence callscalls it it r r: : observer-dependent subjectivityobserver-dependent subjectivity

RR is a scientifically non-testable inference derived is a scientifically non-testable inference derived from the coherency of phenomenologyfrom the coherency of phenomenology

Coherence model avoids theCoherence model avoids the R R assumption, and remains ontologically assumption, and remains ontologically neutral by taking process, or events, to be the one substance.neutral by taking process, or events, to be the one substance.

The Coherence Model

The Coherence Model

Costs:Costs:No CorpuscularityNo Corpuscularity

No Non-phenomenal No Non-phenomenal thingnessthingness

No Newtonian causalityNo Newtonian causality

Benefits:Benefits:NoNo Assumed Assumed CorpuscularityCorpuscularity

NoNo Assumed Assumed Non-phenomenal Non-phenomenal thingnessthingness

NoNo Assumed Assumed Newtonian Newtonian causalitycausality

No Radical SkepticismNo Radical Skepticism

No EpiphenomenalismNo Epiphenomenalism

The End?The End?