The Problems of Philosophy (Optimized for Kindle)
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Kindle Books  History of Science
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Description
'Is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain this no reasonable man could doubt it?' Philosophy is the strive to answer such ultimate questions, not carelessly and dogmatically, as we might deal together with them in ordinary life, but critically, afterwards analysing how and why the questions arise and clarifying the assumptions and concepts on which they are based. This classic work, first published in 1912, has never been supplanted as an approachable introduction to the theory of philosophical enquiry. It provides Russell's views on such subjects as the distinction between look and reality, the existence and nature of matter, idealism, knowledge by acquaintance and by description, induction, and the limits and value of philosophical knowledge. This edition consists of an introduction by John Skorupski contextualizing Russell's work, and a guide to further reading.
Customer Reviews
Surprisingly Engaging; Appropriately Challenging   2010-06-16
By bronx book nerd (Bronx, NY USA)
First off, I am nowhere near qualified to comment on the philosophical arguments posited by Russell about knowledge. However, as someone who has rediscovered philosophy in middle-age, having taken it in college and abandoned it shortly thereafter, I found Russell's writing eminently readable. Some of the concepts discussed are appropriately challenging and I was surprised at how clearly and engagingly Russell writes. I incorrectly assumed that a great philosophical mind like his would wrap his prose in incomprehensible philosophical jargon. Fortunately, I was wrong. The highlight for me was a passage in the concluding chapter, where Russell explains the purpose of the philosophical discipline, which is to bring a person outside their immediate world of daily concerns and crises, to the larger world around them of thoughts and ideas, and thereby enlarge their world to their benefit. My favorite sentence: "Every complete sentence must contain at least one word which stands for a universal, since all verbs have a meaning which is universal." Highly recommended as an introduction to some of the fundamental questions addressed by philosophy.
Philosophy 101   2010-05-15
By Rajeev Pokkyarath (Bangalore, India)
A brief tour of epistemology and metaphysics. This book is directed at at those who are curious about the discipline of philosophy; it's only about 150 or so pages, but navigating through may not be easy. Russell starts of by wondering whether material objects seen in the world of sense data really exist and takes the reader through a brief analysis of the differing view points regarding the existence and the nature of matter. The view points of the idealists and empiricists are compared and contrasted as Russell tries to take his position. What one gets out of this is the way the topic is analyzed and how seemingly obvious and self-evident points are dissected and a question mark put on them; the opinion he arrives at (ex. why the idealists & Berkeley were in the wrong) is irrelevant. In any case, given the brief nature of the discussion here, you will have to supplement your reading with other materials to get a genuine and more than a verbal understanding of these various schools of thought; the objective here is merely to give you a broad outline. Russell then moves on to the process by which we acquire knowledge, our reliance on inductive reasoning and proceeds to talk about a priori knowledge, contribution of Kant and the debate surrounding the feasibility of a priori knowledge. Plato's Universals is covered in two chapters. If and once you get to the end of it, questions whether all of this is merely hairsplitting and devoid of any practical utility is addressed by Russell in the final chapter where he says that the role of philosophy is to keep alive the "speculative interest in the universe" otherwise which we would be confined to verifiable and ascertainable knowledge. A well written introduction and if the flame still burns there is a list of books in the bibliographical note to take your interest further.
The Problems of Epistemology   2010-05-01
By John Scott (Tokyo Japan)
I've always enjoyed Russell's perspicuity, as displayed so generously in A History of Western Philosophy; none of it is lacking here. Russell takes on several key concepts, such as idealism, knowledge by acquaintance versus knowledge by description, and sets forth a theory which clearly delineates what we can and cannot know. It addresses the fundamental problems of epistemology, and as such should probably be read pretty early on by those who are interested in epistemology and philosophy in general.
Dense ... And Free   2010-01-13
By Cerebellum
Dense is probably the best way to describe Russel's writing style. He throws a lot of complicated ideas and thoughts at you all at once. That being said, this is a great book, that anyone will enjoy. It is free, that is the biggest plus. The formatting is great for the kindle. This book really makes you think about a lot of things, and thinking is good for you. It is not a light read, you must really focus on what is being said to understand it. However, understanding it is very rewarding. This is my first book by Russel, but it has sparked an intrest in me, and I plan to read more of his work. So, if you want to read some great philosophy, and have a kindle, then you should look no further than this wonderful book. Did I mention it's free?
A great introduction to modern epistemology and metaphysics   2010-01-02
By Dallas Foley (Austin, TX)
Recently I've decided to make philosophy a hobby of mine; I've taken a few courses covering various philosophy subjects in college, and I've enjoyed them so much that I want to learn more, required reading or not. Acquainted with most philosophy basics but not much more than that, I decided to start off by ordering a few books that appeared to outline general philosophical problems, to help open my eyes to interesting new subjects and give me focus and direction in my future reading. Russell's name was familiar to me, and the book's title implied that it was some sort of general overview, so I decided to start here. However, contrary to what I expect, I found that instead of the overview I was looking for, Russell's book focused primarily on matters of epistemology (theories of knowledge) and metaphysics (theories of reality). So, keeping that in mind, don't order this book expecting to become acquainted with all of the "Problems of Philosophy"; here, you're only going to be introduced to the topics that Russell is most enthusiastic about. Among them are questions such as "What is knowledge?", "What do we know for sure?", etc... You'll learn about logic, and Russell builds up a rather brilliant foundation for the entire philosophical process, but missing are the "layman's philosophies", subject such as ethics or political philosophy. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed Russell's book, and it was a great place to start for the beginning philosopher. At times, it was difficult to read; some of his sentences can be quite lengthy and full of logic, and this isn't what one might consider light reading. It takes effort, and you have to be interested in the subject for the book to actively keep your attention. However, Russell writes as clearly as the subject permits, and gives a fantastic introduction to basic theories of knowledge. And as other reviewers have pointed out, his last chapter is particularly notable, and will inspire and bring out the inner philosopher in any reader. I was initially disappointed when I found that this book wasn't an overview of the field, but, in hindsight, it actually served as a better starting place than any overview probably would have. Epistemology - the study of knowledge itself - is a great philosophical subject to start with, as it serves as the foundation upon which all other philosophy - the quest for knowledge - rests. I highly recommend Russell's "The Problems of Philosophy", as well as the philosopher himself - I'll certainly be sure to read more of his work in the future!