Russel Chapter 1-4

Question 1

Who was Bertland Russel?

Answer 1

-british
-founder anayltic philosophy
-nobel peace prize
-born 1872-1970
-scientifically minded but very concerned with language
-he was very clear on what terms mean
-defender of free speach

Question 2

What was Russels question?

Answer 2

“is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain that no reasonable man could doubt?”

Question 3

What were some of the points that Russels Question made

Answer 3

• we assume alot of things
• take things for granted
• closer inspection makes alot of our assumptions include contradictions
• all of our beliefs together are not logically consistent
• some beliefs contradict other beliefs and can take years to find them
• looking for the compatibility of our beliefs

Question 4

Wheres the first place to start when looking at Russels question?

Answer 4

Experience

Question 5

Explain Experience

Answer 5

• starting with experience seems problematic
• experiences dont inform us about what we know

Example: I seem to be sitting in the chair, laptops, tables and what I believe is that when other people look out the window they will see the same thing outside and inside classroom,

Question 6

Appearence vs Reality

Answer 6

Not what X appears to be but the what the reality of X is. Not just how X looks but X itself.

Russel would answer this
q: Does the table have a color?
R: it doesnt seem so because its color changes dependent on angle

Question 7

What is the important philosophical question to “does the table itself (X) have a colour?”

Answer 7

“the senses do not give us the truth about the the table itself it appears this way but not that it is that way”

Question 8

is it just color that appears this way?

Answer 8

no also touch and shape

Question 9

What are two consequences of our observations?

Answer 9

1. Is there a real table (X)?
2. If so, what sort of object can it be?

Question 10

What is sense-data?

Answer 10

the things that are immediately known in sensation (colors, sounds, smells, touch of something, these are sense data)

Question 11

What is sensation?

Answer 11

The experience of being immediately aware of sense data (when we see a color we have a sensation of the color, but the color itself is a sense data, it isnt a sensation, but the sensation is an experience of data)

Question 12

Physical Object

Answer 12

nothing more than things that really exist but other times he may mean things that exist independent of our minds

Question 13

Matter

Answer 13

the collection of all physical objects

Question 14

If we have any hope of knowing anything about (x) it has to be through ones what?

Answer 14

Sense data or experiences

Question 15

What was George Berkeley’s answer to the Russel’s question?

Answer 15

-matter as we understand it does not exist
-the world consists of nothing but minds and ideas

Russel notes that if anything exists independently of us it cannot be the immediate object of our sensations

Question 16

What is the more general counterpart to the Russel’s first question?

Answer 16

Is there anything such as matter at all?

some philosphers deny that even though there is a real table there its not physical, physical things do not exist, things that are independent of the mind simple do not exist

Question 17

What does Russel conclude with his question?

Answer 17

What the sense immediately tell us of objects, is not the truth about the objects itself, apart from us, but only the truth of the sense data

Your sense are appearences from experiences

Question 18

How can we formulate the world around us

Answer 18

1. Perciever 2. perception 3. the object behind the perception

Question 19

What are the two questions regarding the existence of matter?

Answer 19

1. Is there such a thing as matter
2. is there a (x) which has a certain nature and continues to exists even when im not looking or is this table merely a product of my imagination

Question 20

What is a concern that Russel has regarding the existence of matter?

Answer 20

that if we cant be sure of things existing independent of the us, we cant be sure other things exist, if anything doesnt exist independent of the our mind than “i might be alone”

Question 21

True or false you can prove that we are not alone

Answer 21

false you cant actually prove that we are not alone… however there isnt the slightest reason to think that it is true

Question 22

How can we be clear about the question “is there a table (x)?”

Answer 22

• is there the physical existence of the table
• is the table real apart from the data

Question 23

What is the difference between appearance and reality?

Answer 23

Appearence is from yourself and reality is what it actually is

you have to make the distinction seperate from reality

Question 24

We are certain to that we have sense data of (x) but is there physical data of (x)

Question 25

Who is the most iconic Idealist?

Answer 25

Dr. John Berkley (died in 1753)

Question 26

is Russel an idealist?

Answer 26

No

Question 27

What are Dr. Berkley’s three items of knowledge?

Answer 27

1. Ideas that are imprinted on the senses (sensations, we can know about them)
2. that which is percieved by thinking, having emotions, and other mental states
3. ideas formed by memory and creativity

These thoughts and ideas are operations of the mind and none of these things would exist without a mind

Question 28

How do we get ideas according to Dr. Berkley?

Answer 28

when you talk about something it is a combination of ideas from the the senses

Question 29

What claim was Dr. Berkley credited with?

Answer 29

To be is to be percieved

Question 30

“It is indeed an opinion strangely prevailing amongst men (sic), that houses, mountains, rivers, and in a word sensible objects have an existence natural or real, distinct from their being perceived by the understanding.” -Dr. Berkley

Question 31

What are 5 arguments contradicting Dr. Berkley?

Answer 31

1. Light colours heat cold extension figures and so on these things are simply things we see and feel (light and color that is something we see and feel)
2. But what are those things besides sensations and impressions (those things listed in 1 are just ideas, mental things)
3. It is impossible for me to see or feel anything without an actual sensation of that thing
4. It is impossible for me to conceive in my thoughts any sensible thing or object distinct from the sensation or perception of it (
5. And therefore it it is a contradiction for an idea to exist in an unperceived thing

Question 32

What is the argument reworded against Berkley?

Answer 32

1. When we perceive an object (table) what are you actually perceiving you perceiving light patches of color, touch, figure, some extension and located somewhere in space,
2. But that means what you perceive is nothing but sensations, in fact it is impossible to feel or see anything without a sensation of that thing, you cant say you see a table and say there are no sensations at all. If you see an object it will be perception
3. Notice something else it is impossible for me to conveiceve any object distinct from the sensation or the perception of it
4. My conce[ption of a house, when I talk about a table, is nothing but a set of ideas
5. But all of these things, ideas and perceptions all of these things only exist when perceived
6. Therefore it is a contradiction to say that a house or table can exist apart from being perceived

Question 33

How does Berkley attack matter?

Answer 33

Primary Qualities are supposed to be traditionalist (weight, length, height things that can actually be measured)
Secondary qualities are subjective in nature (touch, taste, sight etc)

Question 34

What are Berkleys thoughts on primary and secondary

Answer 34

all ideas are percieved. The extenstion motion is really just ideas existing in the mind. Ideas are just more ideas. You cannot have an unpercieved diea

Question 35

What would Berkley say about primary and secondary qualities being seperable?

Answer 35

You cannot seperate. Take a primary quality, you cannot think of that primary quality without secondary qualities. All primary qualities depend on secondary qualities according to Berkley. Whenever you think of a primary quality you will include secondary.

Question 36

Do secondary qualities exist of the mind?

Answer 36

Yes

Question 37

According to Berkley can primary qualities exists outside of the mind?

Answer 37

No, because priamry qualities cannot exist apart from secondarey qualities there primary are also of the mind

Question 38

Berkley: We arent showing merely that we have access to the correct color/extension/ motion of an object

Question 39

What are sensations, ideas, objects of perceptions made up of?

Answer 39

sense data

Question 40

who would hold the view that there is no good reason that physical objects exist

Answer 40

Dr. Berkley

Question 41

is Berkley making the claim that our minds cause things to exist

Answer 41

No, hes not saying that one causes (x) to exist but rather it is nothing but an idea. Its not physical in nature is a different claim than causing it to exist. The point he wants to make is that he is not creating things with his mind, no evidence for it, its all mental but not created by one

Question 42

Who quotes to be is to be percieved

Answer 42

Dr. Berkley

Question 43

According to Berkley your sense only give you knowledge of (blank) and objects of (blank)

Answer 43

ideas and perceptions

Question 44

What is a potential criticsm to Berkley?

Answer 44

Some ideas are voluntary and some are involuntary. Why do some ideas remain and some vanish

Question 45

What is phonomonilsm?

Answer 45

Secular idealism

Question 46

What is the difference between idealism and phenomalism?

Answer 46

Only difference is one accounts for the permanence of objects
Idealism: that which is real is in the mind of God
Phonomalism: to say that something is real is to say nothing more than if i were in the the room i would have that perception and so would you

Question 47

all ideas are what according to berkley?

Answer 47

Mental