more from Bertrand Russell

Single Idea 5378

[catalogued under 13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 4. Foundationalism / c. Empirical foundations]

Full Idea

All our knowledge, both knowledge of things and knowledge of truths, rests upon acquaintance as its foundations.

Clarification

'Acquaintance' is direct awareness

Gist of Idea

All knowledge (of things and of truths) rests on the foundations of acquaintance

Source

Bertrand Russell (Problems of Philosophy [1912], Ch. 5)

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'The Problems of Philosophy' [OUP 1995], p.26


A Reaction

Russell here allies himself with Hume, and with the empiricist version of foundationalism. 'Acquaintance' plays the role which 'impressions' played for Hume. He is eliminating any possible cognitive content from the Hume idea, implying pure sense-data.