The Problems of Philosophy

Why does Russell claim that it is important to build one’s philosophy upon a belief in the existence of both the self and the physical world? How might these beliefs have contributed to Russell’s work as an activist?

What role does intuition play in the text?

Compare Russell’s work to other scholars in epistemology. How do his ideas align or diverge from how these philosophers think about knowledge and the physical world?

How can Russell’s theories about truth and falsehood be applied to modern contexts? For example, how do his ideas about the differences between truth and belief apply to how people interact with technology or social media?

Russell asserts that The Value of Philosophy is in its pursuit of unanswerable questions. How does this compare to his contemporaries’ ideas about the value of philosophy?

What are universals? What role do they play in Russell’s theories?

Russell argues that people will never gain complete insight into the nature of reality because they are limited by their subjective perspectives. How does he acknowledge his own subjectivity in the text?

What symbols and motifs are present in the text? What do they represent?