The Evidence of the Senses: A Realist Theory of Perception

by David Kelley

In this highly original defense of realism, David Kelley argues that perception is the discrimination of objects as entities, that the awareness of these objects is direct, and that perception is a reliable foundation for empirical knowledge. His argument relies on the basic principle of the "primacy of existence," in opposition to Cartesian representationalism and Kantian idealism.

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published June 9, 2015

About the author

David Kelley, Ph.D., is the founder of The Atlas Society in Washington, DC, which promotes open Objectivism, the philosophy originated by novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand.

He is an internationally-known expert in Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. A former college professor of philosophy, he has written and lectured extensively on issues in epistemology, ethics, politics, social issues, and public policy. He has also been a consultant to the film adaptation of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.

Reviews

[Lisa (Harmonybites)]

The title and subtitle signal what this book is about: The Evidence of the Senses: A Realist Theory of Perception. That is, this is a work of epistemology: the branch of philosophy that covers knowledge--what it is, how we know what we know and how we can be sure of it. The back cover describes this book as a defense of "realism" and presents an argument that "perception is the discrimination of objects as entities, that the awareness of these objects is direct, and that perception is a reliable foundation for empirical knowledge.

Right up front in the Acknowledgments Kelley admits a debt to Ayn Rand, who he calls "the philosopher who had the greatest influence on my thinking about perception." That's a brave thing to do--even to acknowledge she's worthy of the name philosopher considering now many hold her in disdain. Kelley has the academic creds she lacked though--he's taught philosophy and cognitive science at the university level. He's a serious scholar, and this is a serious book on one of the thorniest subjects in philosophy. I'm not claiming parts aren't a slog. But Kelley's not just a lucid thinker but a lucid writer--and I think anyone curious about this subject will find reading this worthwhile. My one caveat is that given this was written in 1986, I wonder if more recent developments in cognitive science might have changed or refined his arguments.

[Jack Gardner]

Great Discussion of Theories of Concepts

Expands on Ayn Rand's ‘Introduction To Objectivist Epistemology,’ usefully relating her theory of concepts to other approaches. Rand’s epistemology is her greatest achievement, I believe, based on concepts of identity and cause and effect, which are rejected by most philosophies. Just what is needed to tackle Kant, Mach, Russell, Godel, etc.