Knowledge by Acquaintance and Description

Knowing something directly, without needing to infer or understand any truths about it. It's like experiencing something firsthand.

Knowing something indirectly, by understanding truths or descriptions about it. It's like learning about a place from a travel guide.

Basic, immediate sensory experiences like colors, shapes, sounds, or smells. These are the building blocks of our perception.

The knowledge we gain about physical objects in the world. It's derived from our sense-data, but is not direct.

The process of using logic and reasoning to arrive at a conclusion. It involves drawing inferences based on existing knowledge.

A statement that is true or false. It can be about any subject, from math to history to philosophy.

Doubt that is impossible to remove. For example, it's impossible to doubt that you are having a sensory experience right now.

A statement that suggests something exists, but is not certain. For example, 'There is a table in the next room' is a hypothesis.

The physical object that causes our sense-data. It is the ‘real’ object, not just our perception of it.

Truths or statements that connect a physical object with our sense-data. They help us understand the relationship between what we experience and the world around us.

The ability to remember something directly from the past, without relying on external materials.

The ability to be aware of our own thoughts, feelings, and mental states.

Things that are general or abstract, representing concepts, qualities, or relations.

Things that we have direct awareness of through our senses, memory, or introspection. They are the foundation for our knowledge.

The subject of our thoughts and experiences. The 'I' that is aware of itself and the world around it.

The process of becoming aware of the fact that we have sensations and feelings.

Knowledge acquired through reasoning or inferring from something else.

The idea that animals, unlike humans, do not have the same level of self-awareness. They may be aware of their senses but not reflect upon them.

Our ability to gain knowledge about the minds of others through observing their actions and behaviors.

We have 'merely descriptive knowledge' of something when we know it exists, but we don't know a specific individual who is that thing. For example, we might know 'the tallest person in the world exists', but we don't know who that is.

A proposition like 'Mr. A. is the Unionist candidate' is not merely descriptive because it identifies a specific person. It means Mr. A. holds that position and no one else does.

When we say 'the so-and-so exists,' we mean that there is only ONE object that fits that description. For example, "the tallest person in the world exists" means there's only one person who holds that title.

Proper names like 'Mr. A.' are often descriptions in disguise. We might think of 'Mr. A.' as 'the Unionist candidate for this constituency', but this description can change for different people or even for the same person at different times.

The truth or falsehood of a statement using a proper name stays the same even if we use different descriptions for the same person. For example, whether 'Mr. A. is the Unionist candidate' is true doesn't change if we think of him as 'the candidate with the blue tie' or 'the candidate from the north'

The process by which we become directly aware of something. It's the act of knowing something without any need for inference or reasoning.

The self, or 'I', is the thing that has experiences like seeing the sun and feeling emotions. It's the subject of consciousness, not the objects of consciousness.

The 'inner sense' is our awareness of our own internal mental life, including thoughts, feelings, and desires.

The ability to be aware of a universal concept, like understanding the concept of 'redness' without seeing a red object.

A universal of which we are aware through conceiving, like the concept of 'redness' or 'justice'.

A phrase that identifies a single, unique object, like 'the tallest mountain in the world'.

Something that exists in space and time, like a tree or a chair. It's contrasted with universals, which are abstract and timeless.

To exist in a non-spatiotemporal way. This is how Russell believes universals exist, as they don't have a location in space or time.

The act of perceiving something with our outer senses, like seeing, hearing, or touching.

To know something based on a specific set of criteria, like knowing that the tallest mountain in the world is Mount Everest.