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 |2 pages

PART I Idealism

chapter 1|8 pages

Greek exercises

chapter 4|15 pages

The dialectic of the sciences

chapter 5|9 pages

Seems, madam? Nay, it is

part |2 pages

PART II Ontology (I)

chapter 6|14 pages

The principles of mathematics

chapter 7|4 pages

The existential import of propositions

chapter 8|4 pages

Three letters to Meinong

chapter 9|6 pages

The basis of realism

chapter 10|6 pages

Analytic realism

chapter 11|24 pages

The philosophy of logical atomism

part |2 pages

PART III Universals

chapter 13|18 pages

The problem of universals

part |2 pages

PART IV Causality and laws

chapter 14|20 pages

On the notion of cause

chapter 15|8 pages

Causal laws in physics

chapter 16|8 pages

Physics and metaphysics

chapter 17|10 pages

Causal laws

part |2 pages

PART V Ontology (II)

chapter 18|10 pages

Vagueness

chapter 19|10 pages

Physics and neutral monism

chapter 20|6 pages

Language and metaphysics

chapter 21|11 pages

The principle of individuation