RETHINKING THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF BERTRAND RUSSELL’S THE PROBLEMS OF PHILOSOPHY

Abstract

The study is a critical examination of the nature of knowledge using qualitative method based on the reading of the text of Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy (1912). The main focus is to examine Russell's conception of knowledge, especially the difference between knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description, appearance and reality, and the difficulties of attaining certainty. The study is done with qualitative descriptive research design and secondary data, such as philosophical writings, scholarly writings and relevant academic literature. The text is analysed qualitatively to interpret the epistemological arguments of Russell and to look at the implications for knowledge in humans, regarding its sources, validity and limits. The analysis shows that the concept of acquaintance/description is a basic concept that can be used to frame the acquisition and justification of knowledge in the field of learning. Moreover, his analysis of perception and the difference between what is seen and what is not, illustrates the difficulties of object knowledge. The results indicated that philosophical questions have a great significance for disconfirming assumptions, for questioning the reliability of perception, and for awareness of limits of human understanding. According to the study, Russell's epistemological ideas are still relevant to the current philosophical discussions about truth, certainty and the nature of knowledge. This study revisits his arguments and helps to gain a new insight into knowledge as an object of constant critical reflection and philosophical research.