ABSTRACT

Is the world of appearances the real world?

Are there facts that exist independently of our minds?

Are there vague objects?

Russell on Metaphysics brings together for the first time a comprehensive selection of Russell's writing on metaphysics in one volume. Russell's major and lasting contribution to metaphysics has been hugely influential and his insights have led to the establishment of analytic philosophy as a dominant stream in philosophy. Stephen Mumford chronicles the metaphysical nature of these insights through accessible introductions to the texts, setting them in context and understanding their continued importance. Russell on Metaphysics is both a valuable introduction to Bertrand Russell as a metaphysician, and an introduction to analytic philosophy and its history.

chapter |10 pages

Introduction

part |49 pages

Idealism

part |60 pages

Ontology (I)

chapter |14 pages

The Principles of Mathematics

Extracts 1903

chapter |4 pages

Three Letters to Meinong

1904–7

chapter |6 pages

The Basis of Realism

1911

chapter |6 pages

Analytic Realism

Extract 1911

chapter |24 pages

The Philosophy of Logical Atomism

Extracts 1918

part |39 pages

Universals

part |48 pages

Causality and Laws

chapter |20 pages

On the Notion of Cause

1913

chapter |8 pages

Causal Laws in Physics

1927

chapter |8 pages

Physics and Metaphysics

1928

chapter |10 pages

Causal Laws

1948

part |39 pages

Ontology (II)

chapter |10 pages

Vagueness

1923

chapter |10 pages

Physics and Neutral Monism

1927

chapter |6 pages

Language and Metaphysics

1940

chapter |11 pages

The Principle of Individuation

1947