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Nothing is self-evident except the material of sensory perception.

“Philosophical Detection”
Philosophy: Who Needs It, 13

When we speak of “direct perception” or “direct awareness,” we mean the perceptual level. Percepts, not sensations, are the given, the self-evident. The knowledge of sensations as components of percepts is not direct, it is acquired by man much later: it is a scientific, conceptual discovery.

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