more from Bertrand Russell

Single Idea 6476

[catalogued under 12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 4. Sense Data / d. Sense-data problems]

Full Idea

If we are to avoid a perfectly gratuitous assumption, we must dispense with the subject as one of the actual ingredients of the world; but when we do this, the possibility of distinguishing the sensation from the sense-datum vanishes.

Clarification

The 'subject' is the self, or the ego, or stable personal identity

Gist of Idea

We cannot assume that the subject actually exists, so we cannot distinguish sensations from sense-data

Source

Bertrand Russell (The Analysis of Mind [1921], Lec. VIII)

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'The Analysis of Mind' [Routledge 1995], p.142


A Reaction

This is the reason why Russell himself rejected sense-data. It is more normal, I think, to reject them simply as being superfluous. If the subject can simply perceive the sense-data, why can't they just perceive the object more directly?