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Philosophy

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    Why would you thunk that Müller-Lyer illusion is also not "in the world", since the bottom arrows point outward thus giving the impression of and actually being larger? Anyway, the direct realist can possibly claim that these illusions can be eventually found out, through (rest of) reality
    – Nikos M.
    Commented May 30 at 11:07
  • @NikosM. Well because that appearance is only due to the fact that we have learned to associate certain things with depth cues. In the 70s, some anthropologists found that a zulu tribe saw the horizontal lines as the same length. The mis-perceiving seems to be purely due to our experience rather than out in the world. I don't think it's cultural conditioning which makes us see refraction
    – edelex
    Commented May 30 at 11:28
  • The direct realist can possibly claim that the length is fixed and this can be known directly (eg by measuring it). Furthermore the realist may claim that at first glance indeed one shape is larger and this is also known directly and true. The choice of focusing on which part being free or fixed by other parameters is not any problem for the direct realist.
    – Nikos M.
    Commented May 30 at 11:37
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    It is easier for direct realists to explain it exactly because the bias is "in the brain" and not "in the eye". We perceive both images perfectly faithfully, it is that we judge their comparative length mistakenly. And when this is pointed out and we re-examine our perceptions, we can ascertain that the segments are, in fact, of the same length. The mistake is no fault of perception. Direct realists only claim that what we perceive is real, not that we judge and interpret it without mistakes.
    – Conifold
    Commented May 30 at 11:37