Second Paper Topic

Philosophy 1

Winter, 2006

Due: February 27, 2006, in class

Write an essay of roughly 5 pages on the following topic. Use the original writings of the philosophers as found in the text as the basis of your work. Be sure to quote the text whenever you attribute a claim to one of the philosophers. Papers not turned in on the day due will be penalized progressively, with the penalties increasing each two working days overdue. Papers should be double-spaced (3 lines per inch) with ample room in the margins for comments.

Be sure to include the name of your teaching assistant along with your own name.

Bertrand Russell argued in The Problems of Philosophy that we know that a world of public objects exists and that we know something about the characteristics of these objects.

What was the argument Russell used to establish these claims?

Why did Russell believe it to be necessary to provide a philosophical argument for the existence of public objects, when nobody really doubts that they exist?

In what ways did Russell express skepticism about the characteristics of public objects?

Do you think that Russell was successful in establishing that public objects exist?

Do you think he was too skeptical about our knowledge of their characteristics?