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Single Idea 5380
[filed under theme 16. Persons / C. Self-Awareness / 3. Limits of Introspection
]
Full Idea
When I am acquainted with 'my seeing the sun', it seems plain that on the one hand there is the sense-datum which represents the sun to me, on the other hand there is that which sees this sense-datum.
Gist of Idea
In perceiving the sun, I am aware of sun sense-data, and of the perceiver of the data
Source
Bertrand Russell (Problems of Philosophy [1912], Ch. 5)
Book Ref
Russell,Bertrand: 'The Problems of Philosophy' [OUP 1995], p.27
A Reaction
This appears to flatly contradict Hume's scepticism about seeing his 'self', but maybe Russell is only aware of his body, and then fictionalises a 'self' as the controller of this body. But I agree with Russell. I am the thing that cares about the sun.
The
23 ideas
with the same theme
[what may be unknowable by introspection]:
5886
|
Like the eye, the soul has no power to see itself, but sees other things
[Cicero]
|
1316
|
Introspection always discovers perceptions, and never a Self without perceptions
[Hume]
|
5551
|
I have no cognition of myself as I am, but only as I appear to myself
[Kant]
|
12115
|
Introspection is pure illusion; we can obviously observe everything except ourselves
[Comte]
|
24144
|
A cognitive mechanism wanting to know itself is absurd!
[Nietzsche]
|
2932
|
'Know thyself' is impossible and ridiculous
[Nietzsche]
|
7157
|
We think each thought causes the next, unaware of the hidden struggle beneath
[Nietzsche]
|
5689
|
Freud and others have shown that we don't know our own beliefs, feelings, motive and attitudes
[Freud, by Shoemaker]
|
20429
|
Most of us are too close to our own motives to understand them
[Fry]
|
5380
|
In perceiving the sun, I am aware of sun sense-data, and of the perceiver of the data
[Russell]
|
7116
|
When we are unreflective (as when chasing a tram) there is no 'I'
[Sartre]
|
7124
|
The Ego never appears except when we are not looking for it
[Sartre]
|
1354
|
We cannot introspect states of anger or panic
[Ryle]
|
1353
|
Reporting on myself has the same problems as reporting on you
[Ryle]
|
5661
|
We identify experiences by their owners, so we can't define owners by their experiences
[Ayer]
|
15815
|
Sartre says the ego is 'opaque'; I prefer to say that it is 'transparent'
[Chisholm]
|
3468
|
I cannot observe my own subjectivity
[Searle]
|
3363
|
We often can't decide what emotion, or even sensation, we are experiencing
[Kim]
|
3412
|
How do we distinguish our anger from embarrassment?
[Kim]
|
3102
|
Why don't we experience or remember going to sleep at night?
[Magee]
|
5674
|
We can't introspect ourselves as objects, because that would involve possible error
[Cassam]
|
6671
|
It seems impossible to get generally applicable mental concepts from self-observation
[Lowe]
|
3518
|
I'm not the final authority on my understanding of maths
[Maslin]
|