"Given that IR's ultimate object exists beyond sensory and conceptual mediation, it is 100% unknowable to humans. There is no empirical, sensory, or intelligible intuition available to access or comprehend such a reality."
Atla's "Not 100% Unknowable" is wrong.
Note: in a nuanced view, "an unknowable noumenon is an oxymoron" which is another topic.
Here is my discussion with ChatGpt on the above, I provided relevant references:
ChatGPT RespondedVA to ChatGpt
My interlocutor wrote:
[Interlocutor] "IR typically holds that the "ultimate object" isn't 100% unknowable" but did not give references.
My comments:
As generally defined "Indirect realism is broadly equivalent to the scientific view of perception that subjects do not experience the external world as it really is, but perceive it through the lens of a conceptual framework." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_an ... ct_realism
My interlocutor "ultimate object" isn't 100% unknowable" don't make sense. What possibility could the ultimate object of indirect realism [as defined] be capable of being known?
Kant argued, the unknowable object is an intelligible object:
[Kant]The conclusion is that we must either abstract from any and every Object (as in Logic), or,
if we admit an Object, [we] must think it under the Conditions of Sensible Intuition.
A280 B336
For the Intelligible would require a quite peculiar Intuition which we do not possess,
and in the absence of this [Intuition] [the intelligible] would be for us nothing at all;
and, on the other hand, it is also evident that Appearances could not be Objects-in-Themselves. [Kant]
Since knowing is confined to the senses and human conditions, there is no possibility for humans to know the ultimate object of indirect realism and also the unknowable noumenon.
Therefore the ultimate object of indirect realism is 100% unknowable in the empirical sense and there is no other means of knowing it because humans do not have the necessary intelligible intuition to know an intelligible object.
One question is, if the ultimate object of indirect realism is not 100% unknowable, then, how many % is it unknowable? This is getting ridiculous.ChatGPT Wrote
Your critique of your interlocutor's assertion, supported by Kant's framework and the nature of indirect realism, is well-founded.
Let me synthesize and elaborate on your argument to strengthen its coherence and rigor:
Key Assertions and Supporting Reasoning
Definition of Indirect Realism (IR):
As stated in the provided Wikipedia reference, IR posits that perception is mediated through a conceptual framework or representations, not as direct access to the external world.
This implies that what is experienced is not the ultimate object itself but its representation within the mind, shaped by human sensory and cognitive conditions.
Unknowability of the Ultimate Object in IR:
Your interlocutor claims that the "ultimate object isn't 100% unknowable," yet offers no plausible mechanism by which it could be known.
This claim contradicts the core of indirect realism:
Sensory Data: Only provides access to mediated representations, not the ultimate object itself.
Conceptual Frameworks: Similarly, these are constructs within the human mind and do not grant direct knowledge of the mind-independent reality.
Kant’s insight applies here: Knowing anything requires a sensible intuition—a direct form of apprehension tied to our sensory and cognitive faculties.
Since the ultimate object in IR lies beyond the senses, it is inherently unknowable to human cognition.
Kant on the Unknowability of Noumenon and Intelligible Objects:
Kant's argument, as cited (A280/B336), directly supports the position that any object beyond sensory intuition (such as an intelligible object) is unknowable:
Without sensible intuition, intelligible objects "would be for us nothing at all."
Appearances (phenomena) cannot represent objects-in-themselves (noumena), as the latter are not accessible through human sensory or cognitive conditions.
The ultimate object of IR is analogous to the noumenon in Kant’s framework.
Both are mind-independent realities that lie beyond human sensory and cognitive reach, making them equally unknowable.
Conclusion: 100% Unknowable:
Given that IR's ultimate object exists beyond sensory and conceptual mediation, it is 100% unknowable to humans. There is no empirical, sensory, or intelligible intuition available to access or comprehend such a reality.
Any claim to partial knowability would require:
A mechanism for direct or unmediated knowledge of the ultimate object.
Evidence that sensory or representational mediation grants access to the object's intrinsic nature, which IR explicitly denies.
Further Clarification to the Interlocutor:
If your interlocutor insists on partial knowability, ask them to clarify:
- What form of "knowledge" they believe is accessible regarding the ultimate object.
What mechanism or pathway exists to access or comprehend it beyond representations or sensory mediation.
Without clear answers to these points, their assertion remains unsupported and contradicts both IR's foundations and Kant's insights.
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