Here’s roughly what happens: there are various signals (light, air waves, particulates in the air) that humans have the capacity to detect and translate into neural states which can then be acted on. This is useful because the generation, presence, and redirection of these signals is affected by other objects in the world. So a human can not only detect objects that generate these signals, it can also detect how other objects around it are affected by these signals, granting information that the human brain can then act upon.
All of this is occurring in reality: the brain’s neural firings, the signals and their detection, the objects that generate and are affected by the signals. There is no “outside reality” that the human is looking in from.
If you break it down into other questions, you get sensible answers:
“Does the human brain have the capacity to gain information from the ball without a medium?”
No.
“Is the human brain’s information about the ball physically co-located with some area of the brain itself?”
Sure.
“Is the signal detected by the sense-organs co-located with some area of the brain itself?”
Potentially at certain points of interaction, but not for its entire history, no.
“What about the neural activity?”
That’s co-located with the brain.
“So are you trying to say you are only ‘Directly acquainted’ with the signal at the point where it interacts with your sense-organ?”
I don’t think calling it ‘directly acquainted’ picks out any particular property. If you are asking if it is co-located with some portion of my brain, the answer is no. If you are asking if it is causing a physical reaction in some sensory organ, the answer is yes.
I tend to think this is the wrong question.
Here’s roughly what happens: there are various signals (light, air waves, particulates in the air) that humans have the capacity to detect and translate into neural states which can then be acted on. This is useful because the generation, presence, and redirection of these signals is affected by other objects in the world. So a human can not only detect objects that generate these signals, it can also detect how other objects around it are affected by these signals, granting information that the human brain can then act upon.
All of this is occurring in reality: the brain’s neural firings, the signals and their detection, the objects that generate and are affected by the signals. There is no “outside reality” that the human is looking in from.
If you break it down into other questions, you get sensible answers:
“Does the human brain have the capacity to gain information from the ball without a medium?” No.
“Is the human brain’s information about the ball physically co-located with some area of the brain itself?” Sure.
“Is the signal detected by the sense-organs co-located with some area of the brain itself?” Potentially at certain points of interaction, but not for its entire history, no.
“What about the neural activity?” That’s co-located with the brain.
“So are you trying to say you are only ‘Directly acquainted’ with the signal at the point where it interacts with your sense-organ?” I don’t think calling it ‘directly acquainted’ picks out any particular property. If you are asking if it is co-located with some portion of my brain, the answer is no. If you are asking if it is causing a physical reaction in some sensory organ, the answer is yes.
‘Breaking it down into other questions’ is exactly what needed to be done. I agree. And once it is broken down, the question is dissolved.