Boring Books for Bedtime Readings to Help You Sleep The Problems of Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell, Part 2
12 snips
Feb 6, 2023 AI Snips
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Objects As Causes Not Appearances
- Physical objects are best understood as causes of our sense data rather than as identical to those data.
- Bertrand Russell argues we believe objects persist because their sensations reliably reoccur when conditions return.
Science Reduces Matter To Motion
- Science reduces phenomena to motions located in physical space and governed by laws of motion.
- Russell notes science treats only position and motion as the essential properties of matter.
Sensations Versus Physical Causes
- Sensations like light and color are not physical entities but effects caused by physical waves on our nerves.
- Russell stresses the experienced 'light' is distinct from the wave motion that causes it.