Which term describes Kant's approach to how we understand the external world?

Kant's approach to understanding the external world is best described by the term indirect realism. This concept posits that we do not have direct access to the external world; instead, we experience it through our sensory perceptions, which are shaped by our cognitive structures. According to Kant, our mind plays an active role in organizing and interpreting sensory information, and intuition as well as concepts are necessary for us to make sense of our experiences.

In contrast to direct realism, which suggests we perceive the world directly as it is, Kant argued that what we can know is filtered through our sensory and cognitive processes. He emphasized that while we can have knowledge of phenomena (the world as it appears to us), we cannot have direct knowledge of the noumena (the thing-in-itself). The role of perception and cognition in mediating our experiences of reality is central to Kant's epistemology, thus highlighting why indirect realism is the appropriate term to describe his view on how we understand the world around us.