What Is Physics

The primitive sense data that we form when we observe things are called primitive qualities of physical objects, e.g. their colour, sound, odour, taste, hotness, coldness, roughness; smoothness, etc. We agree, for example, that without proper light or normal vision we cannot see colour, say red. It is meaningless to ask whether colour is in the thing or merely a sensation, since objects are known through sensation, there is no other way. Naive common sense data, however, are not sufficient to give us accurate knowledge. We look around for a more reliable source of information and method, and we find them in the science of physics.