The Problems Of Philosophy Bertrand Russell Jesse Felton 9781542420914 Books
Download As PDF : The Problems Of Philosophy Bertrand Russell Jesse Felton 9781542420914 Books
The Problems of Philosophy One of his great works, and a must-read for any student of philosophy, The Problems of Philosophy was written in 1912 as an introduction to Russell's thought. As an empiricist, Russell starts at the beginning with this question Is there any knowledge in the world that is so certain that no reasonable man could doubt it? This, according to Russell, is where the work of philosophy begins. He covers topics such as reality, the nature of matter, inductive reasoning, truth, and the limits of philosophical knowledge. As one of the greatest minds in Western philosophy, Russell's thoughts are profoundly informative and provocative and suitable for anyone wishing to expand his mind.
The Problems Of Philosophy Bertrand Russell Jesse Felton 9781542420914 Books
Philosophers usually direct their writings towards their fellow philosophers rather than to the general reader, thus making the pursuit of philosophy a difficult and frustrating task for anyone falling into the latter category. Most philosophical works expect the reader to know the entire history of Western thought leading up to the work in question. Every once in a while, however, some benevolent philosopher will come along and write an accessible text that serves as an inviting entryway into the discipline. Bertrand Russell’s 1912 book The Problems of Philosophy is one of the better examples of a philosophical primer. Rather than the usual chronological approach to such books, Russell proceeds thematically, addressing a series of philosophical questions, with each topic building upon the knowledge acquired in the previous chapter. Though Russell references other philosophers like Plato, Descartes, Kant, and Hegel, the reader is not required to have prior familiarity with any of their works in order to comprehend the philosophical concepts being discussed.That’s not to say the book is an easy read. Russell doesn’t dumb down any of his ideas in order to pander to an audience of philosophical novices. He does, however, express philosophical concepts in a plain and simple vocabulary that general readers can understand. No knowledge of disciplinary jargon is required; Russell defines all the terms necessary for understanding his argument. His prose can get convoluted at times when the complex subject matter requires it, but there’s nothing that precludes a diligent reader from fully appreciating the text. Throughout the book he uses examples and analogies from everyday life that are easily comprehensible.
As a title, The Problems of Philosophy is a little misleading, or at least too broad. A more fitting title (though less inviting) would have been The Problems of Epistemology because Russell is almost exclusively concerned here with the particular branch of philosophy that deals with the theory of knowledge—how we perceive the reality around us and form beliefs as to what is true or false. This book only touches on metaphysics and doesn’t cover ethics at all. Russell does delve rather deeply into the territory of logic, which is essentially the application of mathematical principles to language or ideas in order to differentiate between truth and falsehood. He begins by questioning the difference between appearance and reality. To what extent can we be certain that the information we gather through our senses reflects the true nature of reality? From there he proceeds to discuss the existence and nature of matter. Subsequent chapters go on to explain how we acquire knowledge from sense data and inductive reasoning, how we form a priori judgements, and why we sometimes harbor erroneous beliefs. Although the book primarily advances Russell’s own ideas on these subjects, he does give due consideration to theories and philosophies that oppose his own, so the reader gets a well rounded perspective on each topic.
I’ve often wondered why Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature even though he is a mathematician, logician, and philosopher. After reading this book, one sees how the elegant quality of his prose serves to enlighten readers and expand their perspective. Russell was a master of language as well as mathematics. His concluding chapter on the value of philosophy is positively inspiring. This excellent book not only provides stimulating insight into the processes of human thought; it also opens your mind to new ways of thinking about reality.
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Tags : The Problems Of Philosophy [Bertrand Russell, Jesse Felton] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Problems of Philosophy: One of his great works, and a must-read for any student of philosophy, The Problems of Philosophy was written in 1912 as an introduction to Russell's thought. As an empiricist,Bertrand Russell, Jesse Felton,The Problems Of Philosophy,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1542420911,LITERARY COLLECTIONS General
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The Problems Of Philosophy Bertrand Russell Jesse Felton 9781542420914 Books Reviews
This is a wonderful introduction to complex topics such as sense-data and theories of knowledge. Bertrand Russell writes in a clear yet erudite style and uses non-technical language on even the most challenging topics. The book was written decades ago so the style is less terse than today’s prose but his treatment of the subject is masterful.
Not quite what I expected. A bit tedious, especially the treatment of "How do I know this table is really here?" I got bored with that and finally gave it up.
Originally published in 1912 before the great dumbing down of English philosophy by Wittgenstein and his followers ... with their infinite regression of infinitely skeptical doubting of the obviously true!
Describes the heuristic from the point of view of the conscious mind as to how it experiences the certain belief in basic remembered facts, such as that that the text 'fact' is on a computer screen in front of my face right now being seen by my own eyes!
Also describes the similar certain belief we have in the logical and mathematical a priori. For example, Bertrand Russell would see the result from elementary number theory that 2 + 2 = 2 * 2 as an a priori theorem.
Best read it for yourself! Still in print (2012)!
This is a thought-provoking survey of perception, life and everything we normally presume from daily life. I would think that the average Joe isn't going to sit down and casually delve into the contents of the book and then really understand what was absorbed. You have to be prepared to carefully peruse Russell's thought process and devote a fair amount of thought to his structure. I found that the book was not necessarily conducive to a quick "skimming", but it was useful to zero in on certain chapters and topics as opposed to just reading from front to back. A minor note perhaps this book was "illustrated" when originally published, but there are no illustrations now in the electronic version.
Thought-provoking survey of perception. Enjoyed reading it from start to end. The author attempted to describe problems that philosophy attempted to solve. It was a great summary of some primary hurdles that emerged in the modern philosophy. Somehow I found myself in a debate about the final chapter that berated men as "food for the body" rather than "food for the mind." Russell went to great lengths in discussing how philosophy once has discovered things that are no longer a philosophical point. He then concluded that philosophy should pursue a certain good, which is contradictory to the inherent concept of philosophy. However, this is a great book. It is a food for the brain. Highly recommended to those who long to dive into the philosophical dimensions of its perceptions. Great book!
Philosophers usually direct their writings towards their fellow philosophers rather than to the general reader, thus making the pursuit of philosophy a difficult and frustrating task for anyone falling into the latter category. Most philosophical works expect the reader to know the entire history of Western thought leading up to the work in question. Every once in a while, however, some benevolent philosopher will come along and write an accessible text that serves as an inviting entryway into the discipline. Bertrand Russell’s 1912 book The Problems of Philosophy is one of the better examples of a philosophical primer. Rather than the usual chronological approach to such books, Russell proceeds thematically, addressing a series of philosophical questions, with each topic building upon the knowledge acquired in the previous chapter. Though Russell references other philosophers like Plato, Descartes, Kant, and Hegel, the reader is not required to have prior familiarity with any of their works in order to comprehend the philosophical concepts being discussed.
That’s not to say the book is an easy read. Russell doesn’t dumb down any of his ideas in order to pander to an audience of philosophical novices. He does, however, express philosophical concepts in a plain and simple vocabulary that general readers can understand. No knowledge of disciplinary jargon is required; Russell defines all the terms necessary for understanding his argument. His prose can get convoluted at times when the complex subject matter requires it, but there’s nothing that precludes a diligent reader from fully appreciating the text. Throughout the book he uses examples and analogies from everyday life that are easily comprehensible.
As a title, The Problems of Philosophy is a little misleading, or at least too broad. A more fitting title (though less inviting) would have been The Problems of Epistemology because Russell is almost exclusively concerned here with the particular branch of philosophy that deals with the theory of knowledge—how we perceive the reality around us and form beliefs as to what is true or false. This book only touches on metaphysics and doesn’t cover ethics at all. Russell does delve rather deeply into the territory of logic, which is essentially the application of mathematical principles to language or ideas in order to differentiate between truth and falsehood. He begins by questioning the difference between appearance and reality. To what extent can we be certain that the information we gather through our senses reflects the true nature of reality? From there he proceeds to discuss the existence and nature of matter. Subsequent chapters go on to explain how we acquire knowledge from sense data and inductive reasoning, how we form a priori judgements, and why we sometimes harbor erroneous beliefs. Although the book primarily advances Russell’s own ideas on these subjects, he does give due consideration to theories and philosophies that oppose his own, so the reader gets a well rounded perspective on each topic.
I’ve often wondered why Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature even though he is a mathematician, logician, and philosopher. After reading this book, one sees how the elegant quality of his prose serves to enlighten readers and expand their perspective. Russell was a master of language as well as mathematics. His concluding chapter on the value of philosophy is positively inspiring. This excellent book not only provides stimulating insight into the processes of human thought; it also opens your mind to new ways of thinking about reality.
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