the relation of sense-data to physics

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    Bertrand RussellThe Relation of Sense-data to Physics

    (in his Mysticism and Logic (London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.:1917). Reprinted Totowa !ew "erse#: Barnes & !o$le Boo%s 19 1.

    'ages 1 *1+1. 'agination here ,at-hes the latter.)

    I. THE PROBLEM STATED

    ' /0 20 is said to $e an e,piri-al s-ien-e $ased upon o$ser3ationand e4peri,ent.

    t is supposed to $e 3eri5ia$le i.e. -apa$le o5 -al-ulating $e5orehandresults su$se6uentl# -on5ir,ed $# o$ser3ation and e4peri,ent.

    hat -an we learn $# o$ser3ation and e4peri,ent 8 !othing so 5ar as ph#si-s is -on-erned e4-ept i,,ediate data o5

    sense: -ertain pat-hes o5 -olour sounds tastes s,ells et-. with -ertain

    spatio*te,poral relations.The supposed -ontents o5 the ph#si-al world are prima facie 3er#di55erent 5ro, these: ,ole-ules ha3e no -olour ato,s ,a%e no noiseele-trons ha3e no taste and -orpus-les do not e3en s,ell.

    5 su-h o$ e-ts are to $e 3eri5ied it ,ust $e solel# through theirrelation to sense*data: the# ,ust ha3e so,e %ind o5 -orrelation withsense*data and ,ust $e 3eri5ia$le through their -orrelation alone.

    But how is the -orrelation itsel5 as-ertained 8 A -orrelation -an onl# $e as-ertained e,piri-all# $# the -orrelated o$ e-ts $eing -onstantl# found together. But in our -ase onl# one ter, o5 the -orrelationna,el# the sensi$le ter, is e3er found: the other ter, see,sessentiall# in-apa$le o5 $eing 5ound. There5ore it would see, the

    -orrelation with o$ e-ts o5 sense $# whi-h ph#si-s was to $e 3eri5iedis itsel5 utterl# and 5or e3er un3eri5ia$le.

    There are two wa#s o5 a3oiding this result.(1) e ,a# sa# that we %now so,e prin-iple a priori, without the

    need o5 e,piri-al 3eri5i-ation e.g. that our sense*data ha3e causesother than the,sel3es and that so,ething -an $e %nown a$out these-auses $# in5eren-e 5ro, their e55e-ts. This wa# has $een o5ten adopted

    $# philosophers. t ,a# $e ne-essar# to adopt this wa# to so,e e4tent $ut in so 5ar as it is adopted ph#si-s -eases to $e e,piri-al or $asedupon e4peri,ent and o$ser3ation alone. There5ore this wa# is to $ea3oided as ,u-h as possi$le.

    ( ) e ,a# su--eed in a -tuall# de5ining the o$ e-ts o5 ph#si-s as

    T ; R;LAT ATA T< ' /0 20

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    ph#si-al whate3er their nature ,a# pro3e to $e.The de5inition o5 the ter, ?,ental? is ,ore di55i-ult and -an onl# $e

    satis5a-toril# gi3en a5ter ,an# di55i-ult -ontro3ersies ha3e $een

    dis-ussed and de-ided. =or present purposes there5ore ,ust -on*

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    11H /0T 2 0 A!> Lr hiteheadwho is engaged in appl#ing it to the ,ore ,athe,ati-al portions o5 theregion inter,ediate $etween sense*data and the points instants and

    parti-les o5 ph#si-s. A -o,plete appli-ation o5 the ,ethod whi-hsu$stitutes -onstru-tions 5or in5eren-es would e4hi$it ,atter wholl# in

    ter,s o5 sense*data and e3en we ,a# add o5 the sense*data o5 a single person sin-e the sense*data o5 others -annot $e %nown without so,eele,ent o5 in5eren-e. This howe3er ,ust re,ain 5or the present anideal to $e approa-hed as nearl# as possi$le $ut to $e rea-hed i5 at allonl# a5ter a long preli,inar# la$our o5 whi-h as #et we -an onl# see the3er# $eginning. The in5eren-es whi-h are una3oida$le -an howe3er $esu$ e-ted to -ertain guiding prin-iples. n the 5irst pla-e the# shouldalwa#s $e ,ade per5e-tl# e4pli-it and should $e 5or,ulated in the,ost general ,anner possi$le. n the se-ond pla-e the in5erred entitiesshould whene3er this -an $e done $e si,ilar to those whose e4isten-eis gi3en rather than li%e the Fantian !ing an sich, so,ething wholl#re,ote 5ro, the data whi-h no,inall# support the in5eren-e. Thein5erred entities whi-h shall allow ,#sel5 are o5 two %inds: (a) thesense*data o5 other people in 5a3our o5 whi-h there is the e3iden-e o5testi,on# resting ulti,atel# upon the analogi-al argu,ent in 5a3our o5,inds other than ,# own@ "b# the ?sensi$ilia? whi-h would appear 5ro,

    pla-es where there happen to $e no ,inds and whi-h suppose to $ereal although the# are no one?s data.

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    s,aller in so,e it loo%s -ir-ular in others it presents the appearan-e o5an ellipse o5 3ar#ing e--entri-it#. e ,a# -olle-t together all those

    perspe-ti3es in whi-h the appearan-e o5 the penn# is -ir-ular. These wewill pla-e on one straight line ordering the, in a series $# the3ariations in the apparent si e o5 the penn#. Those perspe-ti3es inwhi-h the penn# appears as a straight line o5 a -ertain thi-%ness willsi,ilarl# $e pla-ed upon a plane (though in this -ase there will $e ,an#di55erent perspe-ti3es in whi-h the penn# is o5 the sa,e si e@ when onearrange,ent is -o,pleted these will 5or, a -ir-le -on-entri- with the

    penn#) and ordered as $e5ore $# the apparent si e o5 the penn#. B#su-h ,eans all those perspe-ti3es in whi-h the penn# presents a 3isualappearan-e -an $e arranged in a three*di,ensional spatial order.;4perien-e shows that the sa,e spatial order o5 perspe-ti3es wouldha3e resulted i5 instead o5 the penn# we had -hosen an# other thingwhi-h appeared in all the perspe-ti3es in 6uestion or an# other ,ethodo5 utili ing the di55eren-es $etween the appearan-es o5 the sa,e thingsin di55erent perspe-ti3es. t is this e,piri-al 5a-t whi-h has ,ade it

    possi$le to -onstru-t the one all*e,$ra-ing spa-e o5 ph#si-s.The spa-e whose -onstru-tion has ust $een e4plained and whoseele,ents are whole perspe-ti3es will $e -alled ?perspe-ti3e*spa-e?.

    !III. THE PLACI ' OF #THI 'S# A D #SE SIBILIA# IPERSPECTI!E SPACE

    The world whi-h we ha3e so 5ar -onstru-ted is a world o5 si4di,ensions sin-e it is a three*di,ensional series o5 perspe-ti3es ea-ho5 whi-h is itsel5 three*di,ensional. e ha3e now to e4plain the-orrelation $etween the perspe-ti3e spa-e and the 3arious pri3atespa-es -ontained within the 3arious perspe-ti3es se3erall#. t is $#

    ,eans o5 this -orrelation that the one three*di,ensional spa-e o5 ph#si-s is -onstru-ted@ and it is $e-ause o5 the un-ons-ious per5or,an-e o5 this -orrelation that the distin-tion $etween perspe-ti3espa-e and the per-ipient?s pri3ate spa-e has $een $lurred withdisastrous results 5or the philosoph# o5 ph#si-s. Let us re3ert to our

    penn#: the perspe-ti3es in whi-h the penn# appears larger are regardedas $eing nearer to the penn# than those in whi-h it appears s,aller $utas 5ar as e4perien-e goes the apparent si e o5 the penn# will not grow

    $e#ond a -ertain li,it na,el# that where (as we sa#) the penn# is sonear the e#e that i5 it were an# nearer it -ould not $e seen. B# tou-h we,a# prolong the series until the penn# tou-hes the e#e $ut no 5urther.

    5 we ha3e $een tra3elling

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    Between two perspe-ti3es whi-h $oth $elong to one person?se4perien-e there will $e a dire-t ti,e*relation o5 $e5ore and a5ter. Thissuggests a wa# o5 di3iding histor# in the sa,e sort o5 wa# as it isdi3ided $# di55erent e4perien-es $ut without introdu-ing e4perien-e oran#thing ,ental: we ,a# de5ine a ?$iograph#? as e3er#thing that is(dire-tl#) earlier or later than or si,ultaneous with a gi3en ?sensi$ile?.This will gi3e a series o5 perspe-ti3es whi-h might all 5or, parts o5one person?s e4perien-e though it is not ne-essar# that all or an# o5the, should a-tuall# do so. B# this ,eans the histor# o5 the world isdi3ided into a nu,$er o5 ,utuall# e4-lusi3e $iographies.

    e ha3e now to -orrelate the ti,es in the di55erent $iographies. Thenatural thing would $e to sa# that the appearan-es o5 a gi3en(,o,entar#) thing in two di55erent perspe-ti3es $elonging to di55erent

    $iographies are to $e ta%en as si,ultaneous@ $ut this is not -on3enient.0uppose A shouts to , and replies as soon as he hears A(s shout.Then $etween A(s hearing o5 his own shout and his hearing o5 (s thereis an inter3al@ thus i5 we ,ade A(s and (s hearing o5 the sa,e shout

    e4a-tl# si,ultaneous with ea-h other we should ha3e e3ents e4a-tl#si,ultaneous with a gi3en e3ent $ut not with ea-h other. To o$3iatethis we assu,e a ?3elo-it# o5 sound?. That is we assu,e that the ti,ewhen hears A(s shout is hal5*wa# $etween the ti,e when A hears hisown shout and the ti,e when he hears (s. n this wa# the -orrelation ise55e-ted.

    hat has $een said a$out sound applies o5 -ourse e6uall# to light.The general prin-iple is that the appearan-es in di55erent perspe-*

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    =or this purpose we ,a# at least to $egin with -on5ine oursel3eswithin a single $iograph#. 5 we -an alwa#s sa# when two ?sensi$ilia? ina gi3en $iograph# are appearan-es o5 one thing then sin-e we ha3eseen how to -onne-t ?sensi$ilia? in di55erent $iographies as appearan-eso5 the sa,e ,o,entar# state o5 a thing we shall ha3e all that isne-essar# 5or the -o,plete -onstru-tion o5 the histor# o5 a thing.

    t is to $e o$ser3ed to $egin with that the identit# o5 a thing 5or-o,,on sense is not alwa#s -orrelated with the identit# o5 ,atter 5or

    ph#si-s. A hu,an $od# is one persisting thing 5or -o,,on sense $ut5or ph#si-s its ,atter is -onstantl# -hanging. e ,a# sa# $roadl# thatthe -o,,on*sense -on-eption is $ased upon -ontinuit# in appearan-esat the ordinar# distan-es o5 sense*data while the ph#si-al -on-eption is

    $ased upon the -ontinuit# o5 appearan-es at 3er# s,all distan-es 5ro,the thing. t is pro$a$le that the -o,,on*sense -on-eption is not-apa$le o5 -o,plete pre-ision. Let us there5ore -on-entrate ourattention upon the -on-eption o5 the persisten-e o5 ,atter in ph#si-s.

    The 5irst -hara-teristi- o5 two appearan-es o5 the sa,e pie-e o5,atter at di55erent ti,es is continuity. The two appearan-es ,ust $e-onne-ted $# a series o5 inter,ediaries whi-h i5 ti,e and spa-e 5or,-o,pa-t series ,ust the,sel3es 5or, a -o,pa-t series. The -olour o5the lea3es is di55erent in autu,n 5ro, what it is in su,,er@ $ut we

    $elie3e that the -hange o--urs graduall# and that i5 the -olours aredi55erent at two gi3en ti,es there are inter,ediate ti,es at whi-h the-olours are inter,ediate $etween those at the gi3en ti,es.

    But there are two -onsiderations that are i,portant as regards-ontinuit#.

    =irst it is largel# h#potheti-al. e do not o$ser3e an# one thing-ontinuousl# and it is ,erel# a h#pothesis to assu,e that while we arenot o$ser3ing it it passes through -onditions inter,ediate $etween

    those in whi-h it is per-ei3ed. >uring uninterrupted o$ser3ation it istrue -ontinuit# is nearl# 3eri5ied@ $ut e3en here when ,otions are 3er#rapid as in the -ase o5 e4plosions the -ontinuit# is not a-tuall# -apa$leo5 dire-t 3eri5i-ation. Thus we -an onl# sa# that the sense*data are5ound to permit a h#potheti-al -o,ple,ent o5 ?sensi$ilia? su-h as will

    preser3e -ontinuit# and that there5ore there may $e su-h a-o,ple,ent. 0in-e howe3er we ha3e alread# ,ade su-h use o5h#potheti-al ?sensi$ilia? we will let this point pass and ad,it su-h?sensi$ilia? as are re6uired to preser3e -ontinuit#.

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    $ut is straight: this onl# ,eans that it is straight to the tou-h though $ent to sight. There is no ?illusion? $ut onl# a 5alse in5eren-e i5 wethin% that the sti-% would 5eel $ent to the tou-h. The sti-% would loo%

    ust as $ent in a photograph and as r Gladstone used

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