Are we directly aware of reality, or is what we "sense" merely a representation of reality?

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Perception is not ingestion (fortunately). So when you see a table, you do that by means of a representation that is in you and of the external table.

This is a perennial and extremely vexing question about which there continues to be great debate. You might find this essay in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy to be of value.

Read another response by Peter Lipton, Alexander George

Read another response about Knowledge, Mind