Theme 1: Theory of Science.

 1.What does Russell mean by "sense data" and why does he introduce this notion?

 With “sense-data” Russell means the things that we first see, feel, smell, hear etc. For example it can be a color or a sound. The sense-data is not a definition of the feeling that the color or sound brings, it’s just the things that our sense immediately experience.

Russell explains that the sense-date is a complicated definition because it’s describing the “real information”, but is there real information? How can we be sure that the experience of the color red is the same experience for all of us? 

 2. What is the meaning of the terms "proposition" and "statement of fact"? How does propositions and statement of facts differ from other kinds of verbal expressions?

 A proposition is the assumptions regarding an object. These assumptions are derived from the description of the object in question.

We don’t know if the statement is true, we only know that the things that describe the object are true. A statement of fact is based on experiences, which can establish a truth.

3. In chapter 5 ("Knowledge by Acquaintance and Knowledge by Description") Russell introduces the notion "definite description". What does this notion mean?

 "Definite descriptions" is defined as a word or phrase that describes a person, an object, or a place. "A dog" is not a "definite description" but "Anna's dog" is. I do not need to be familiar with the object, the person or the place that are described. The only thing I need to be familiar with are the sense-data about the object.

4. In chapter 13 ("Knowledge, Error and Probable Opinion") and in chapter 14 ("The Limits of Philosophical Knowledge") Russell attacks traditional problems in theory of knowledge (epistemology). What are the main points in Russell's presentation?

The problem with the traditional view of true and false information is that it’s difficult to be sure if true information IS true information. In the text Russell shows an example:

“If a man believes that the late Prime Minister's last name began with a B, he believes what is true, since the late Prime Minister was Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman. But if he believes that Mr. Balfour was the late Prime Minister, he will still believe that the late Prime Minister's last name began with a B, yet this belief, though true, would not be thought to constitute knowledge.”

All the information in the story is true, but still the statement is false and can’t be classified as true knowledge.