more from Bertrand Russell

Single Idea 5366

[catalogued under 11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 4. Belief / d. Cause of beliefs]

Full Idea

We find a belief in an independent external world ready in ourselves as soon as we begin to reflect: it is what may be called an 'instinctive' belief.

Gist of Idea

We have an 'instinctive' belief in the external world, prior to all reflection

Source

Bertrand Russell (Problems of Philosophy [1912], Ch. 2)

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'The Problems of Philosophy' [OUP 1995], p.11


A Reaction

Somewhere Hume calls this a 'natural belief', and it is fairly central to his idea that most of our beliefs are built up fairly mechanically by associations. I am tempted to ask whether such things even count as beliefs, if they are so uncritical.