Essay Questions

What do you think is the core purpose of writing The Problems of Philosophy book by Bertrand Russell?

Bertrand Russell is motivated to write The Problems of Philosophy to depict a peculiarity between the human verdict regarding realism and the authenticity itself. To make his work more comprehensible to the reader, Russell uses the epistemological hypothesis of the nature of reality. He commences by talking about a human acquaintance of the outer world and their comprehension. Russell investigates physical facts by looking at the objects around him and then compares them to the actual information. The physical object around Russell is the table and he tries to investigate what it is made of and then compare that to the actual knowledge. According to his knowledge, tiny particles of matter are compressed together to make up the table. However, he concludes that his sensory interpretations make the image of the table. Therefore, the reader is able to make a conclusion that we interpret what we see based on our experiences.

How does Bertrand Russell develop the theme of empirical knowledge in The Problems of Philosophy?

According to Russell, sensory understanding is the channel to actual knowledge. Human beings interpret what they see and then compare it with how the physical world portrays it. However, throughout the book, he illustrates the significance of pragmatic knowledge to prove the sensory interpretation. Human beings have no experience in the physical world and that explains why Russell insists that it is vital to conduct experiments to prove the reality of what they see and interpret. Consequently, people experience the outer world outwardly, which edges with their sensory interpretations.

Is data used as the substitute for the information in The Problems of Philosophy?

Russell is of the opinion that truth should be based on empirical evidence. He argues that what we see and interpret using our sensory organs might contradict the physical images in the outer world. According to him, people learn majorly from what other people say. He believes that what is done and said by others is verified. He says, “This data-consuming attempt at knowledge is essentially like tool usage, but data alone doesn't have any true insight into the real puzzles of human experience.” The reader can, therefore, come to the conclusion that data has been used as an alternative to knowledge in the modern era.