ABSTRACT
Bertrand Russell distinguishes between being and existence, that is, between entities and existents. All entities have being, but only some entities exist, that is, are existents. His discussion is a characterization which includes criteria or at least “marks” of being. Though the 1903 he might have inferred the being of all terms from the timelessness of all truths, he did have an explanation of how an actual chair is contingent. Russell’s transcendental theory is: acquaintances and names must be of something at some ultimate level. “Transcendental being” is being which is inferred by means of a transcendental theory. Transcendental being is “transcendentally necessary” if the inference is logically valid. From language, he gives positive transcendental arguments concerning “primary language,” and negative transcendental arguments concerning “secondary language.” Primary or object language may be about either primary level or secondary level things.
