Venezia ZandrelliA11186709Claudi Brink (A01)In this article, I will address exactly what Russell means by sense data, then elaborate on what sense data is supposed to be, present the arguments Russell provides for the analysis of sensory data. existence of personal data and use his arguments to describe the distinction between appearance and reality and discuss how sense data can lead to skeptical concerns and finally offer my argument in support of Russell's views. Russell asks whether or not our knowledge is sufficiently certain that no reasonable person would doubt our beliefs. Our knowledge seems self-evident, but it could also be reasonably questioned. Russell states that it is possible that all our beliefs are false, if not mistaken. Therefore, all our beliefs have some element of doubt. I am sure that the physical world I experience is tangible and real. But, according to Russell, all is not as it seems; we have false beliefs about the true nature of things. Russell defines sense data as sensations, the "things" we directly experience when we perceive the world. Sense data are things that are immediately known in sensation such as smell, touch, color, and sound. Russell states that sensation is the experience of being immediately aware of sense data. “If we were to know anything, it would have to be by means of sense data (Russell, Appearance and Reality).” Bishop Berkeley says that our sense data are up to us; sense data are “things” that exist independently because of us. We do not obtain the truth about the object from our sensations; depending on the relationship between the objects we perceive, we obtain the truth about a certain sensation. “So what we see and hear directly is simply 'appearance', which we believe to be a sign of some 'reality' (Russ... center of paper... or relationship that others share with that physical object. Concluding this article, regarding our perceptions, when we see a table, we have the sensation we think we have because it is a collection of our sensory data. Although our perceptions of the table are slightly different, we still see similar things when we look at the table, so it is easy to assume that a permanent physical object is essential to everyone's sense data, whether it is slightly different or not. And we cannot doubt our appearances, so our sense data, our immediate experiences, seem absolutely certain; my opinion is that when I look at the table and see a color, it is with immediate certainty that I see the table and the color momentarily our particular thoughts and feelings that have a primitive certainty (Russell, The Existence of Matter).”