Bertrand Russells Discussion of Reality Begins - Essay Example

Bertrand Russell and his View of Reality Understanding the Stark Difference between Perception and Reality By Submission Introduction Bertrand Russell’s discussion of reality begins with the process of knowing, which can be examined in three facets: firstly, the nature of the senses as the self’s ‘window’ to the external world; secondly, the essence of sensation in relation to the self that experiences, the object that is being experienced, and the circumstance that binds the self and the object; and lastly, the nature of judgment as a manifestation of awareness. This is more clearly represented in the figure below. Figure 1: The Process of Knowing According to Russell, there needs to be a clear distinction between what is actually real and what is apparently real, or in his own terms, between reality and perception. To him, it is essential to clarify: first, if there is an external physical world, or is the world known merely an orderly combination of concepts and ideas; and secondly, the quality of knowledge held about the physical object. In this paper, we aim to provide a concise exploration of Russell’s ideas about reality and perception by going through his process of knowing, and the issues surrounding the authenticity of human awareness. Then, we assess his ideas by evaluating the strength of its logic from the metaphysical point-of-view. The Nature of Knowing The self is able to connect with the external world through the senses. Knowledge, in this regard, starts with the experience of a physical object through seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching. What is obtained about the object is called sense-data, and what allows for the capturing of these data is called sensation. For example, in the self’s experience of an apple, its redness and smoothness are regarded to be the sense-data which are captured through sensation—by seeing and touching. Through this thinking, it can be further said that the mere presence of the physical object in the external world allows for the emergence of these sense-data, for if there is no apple to begin with, there would not be any redness or smoothness identified. Therefore, the process of knowing clearly distinguishes perception and reality. In the context of seeing and touching an apple, what appears to be the apple and its features are clearly separate from what the real apple is and its features. The Issue of Awareness Building on the previous discussion, it can be said that the fundamental differences between perception and reality have led to the development of two critical issues: (1) the questioning of reality; and (2) the questioning of the truths obtained about the physical object. In expounding on these issues, we intend to establish, first and foremost, the primary characteristics of the senses and the problems that surround it. 1. The Primary Characteristics of the Senses To disclose the issue relating to the questioning of reality means to establish the nature of the senses, as well as the power of the mind in creating an idea. With this, it can be claimed that the imperfect characteristics of the senses indirectly disprove the existence of reality. We like to go back to the example about the apple in reinforcing the aforementioned idea. In this sense, it can be noted that there are a lot of factors that influence the type of awareness about the apple—the redness of its color, the roundness of its shape, the smoothness of its texture, etc. Firstly, the element of light plays a vital role in the occurrence of sensation, for the function of sight depends heavily on the presence light. If this is deemed to be the case, it is logical to assert that the quality of light (as for its intensity, the light that strikes the external object and the eye may be bright or dim) directly affects what is seen. Thus, the color of the apple may not appear to be red but a little orangey when it is exposed in a certain intensity of light, say, a dimmer one. Thus, there is obviously the goal of seeking to know what the real color of the apple is independent of light. Secondly, the location of the perceiving self also affects the sense-data obtained about the object. For one, the awareness of the apple’s shape may be relative to the position of the perceiver. Thus, what appears to be round as seen from a certain position and angle may appear differently when one is situated in an opposite direction. Similar to the goal of seeking the real color of the apple independent of light, there is also a need to identify the real shape of the apple independent of the perceiver’s location. 2. The Questioning of Reality The questioning of reality means that the awareness of an object as being created within the mind and as being dependent on a lot of factors reveals the difficulty in knowing whether an external world truly exists. Thus, philosophers like Berkeley have underscored the non-existence of physical objects, for everything that is seen, heard, smelled, or felt is a mere product of the mind. Thus, there is no physical world, but a world replete of ideas and concepts. Figure 2: The Non-existence of Physical Object But this assumption immediately crumbles as soon as it is built, for the mind cannot create ideas on its own. This means that however congruent or distorted the ideas are relative to the object that is perceived, the fact that such ideas exist means that there should be a real, physical object that lies outside of the self’s inner world. As underscored by Bertrand Russell himself in the first chapter of his book called Problems of Philosophy, “Whatever can be thought of is an idea in the mind of the person thinking of it; therefore nothing can be thought of except ideas in minds; therefore anything else is inconceivable, and what is inconceivable cannot exist” (p. 5). 3. The Questioning of Truths about the Physical Object If the existence of a physical object in the external world is assumed, how can the self evaluate the extent of its knowledge about such object? Simply put, how can we be sure that what we deem as the apple (its color, shape, texture, and taste) is truly what the apple is, independent of us perceiving it? As highlighted by Russell, although we will never be able to know the exact features of a physical object due to the limitations of our senses, what our perception tells us is more or less what reality truly is. Therefore, the positions of physical objects in a public and all-embracing external world more or less correspond to the relative positions of the sense-data which are obtained and formed in our inner world. Analysis: Revelation of Essences Russell’s presentation of the process of knowing, and his major assertion about the congruence between perception and reality, render logical conclusions about how we know and what we know about the objects around us. Indeed, the various facets of our perceptions toward a certain physical object, although created in the mind, are a direct influence of the object’s uncovering of itself to us. This, we call, is the object’s essence. Focusing more on this point, it can be claimed that our ability to make judgments about the nature of an object is a direct consequence of the object’s revelation of essence. This bolsters the existence of objective data within the object—those that become sense-data once the sensation transpires, as implicated in Bernard Bonsanquet’s essay called Critical Notices: Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy. Through this thinking, the appreciation of reality is elevated as it now emphasizes on the power of the object’s essence to influence the ideas generated in the mind of the perceiver—objective physical attributes contained in the object that have direct link with the ideas created by the mind. For example, the judgment that the apple is round, although deemed to be a mental judgment, is affected by the self’s grasping of the objective roundness of the apple in the external world. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be said that it is illogical to disprove the existence of reality on the basis of mental awareness, and that the perception created about an object is a consequence of the revelation of the object’s essence in the external world. Works Cited Bertrand, Russell. The Problems of Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1959. Print Critical Notices: Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy. Fair-use.org. Bernard Bosanquet. Web. 15 March 2012. Read More