Bertrand Russells Theory of Perception Essay - 1755 Words

0801372 Philosophy 2K Bertrand Russell’s Theory of Perception, put forth in his book The Problems of Philosophy is focused around the theory of sense-data. This essay will outline Russell’s theory and present some of the arguments that support his view, such as the argument from hallucination. I will outline an attack on Russell’s theory and then move to present an alternative argument accounting for the relevant phenomena: the adverbial theory and show how Russell’s theory does more to convince one of the nature of our perception. Russell’s theory of perception is rooted in his faith in sense-data. This is the notion that whatever we perceive are mind dependent objects whose existence and properties are known directly to us and†¦show more content†¦With regard to hallucinations, we consider instances whereby we actually consider certain qualities that could be attributed to some kind of physical object when there is no physical object present at all, for example, seeing a pink elephant. In both cases, we are presented with sensory experiences of qualities that the object in question does not posess, and so, these experiences must be distinct of the object, thus, reiterating the sense-data theory. The argument from illusion has been attacked by the likes of John Austin in his Sense and Sensibilia when he suggests that the argument ‘trades in confusion’ between an illusion and a delusion and gives an example of a church being camoflauged to look like a barn. He wonders whether any sort of serious question can be asked about what we see when we look at it. He tries to put forth that we don’t see anything immaterial and that we can’t say anything about it concerning out sensory experience of it. However, I think that one must take this example from a personal point of view and think about what you would have an experience of if you were to look at the church/barn. You, having no idea that the building has been camouflaged, would have the sense-datum of a barn because you don’t have any evidence to suggest that it is something else. It wouldShow MoreRelatedThe Biases Of The Unconscious Mind1681 Words   |  7 PagesIn this philosophical study, an analysis of the biases of the unconscious mind in relation to the mind of â€Å"others† will be analyzed in the context of a peer-reviewed article on the misuse of anti-depression drugs. 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