RUSSELL ON METAPHYSICS

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 continuing importance. The volume is divided into five parts following the development of Russell’s thought. Starting with papers from his pre-analytic period, the volume collects Russell’s main realist accounts, his discussions of the prob- lems of universals, and his writing on causation and the laws of nature. The final part covers Russell’s thoughts on diverse questions of metaphysics that occupied him later in life, including his classic paper on vagueness. Russell on Metaphysics is both a valuable introduction to Bertrand Russell as a metaphysician, and to analytic philosophy and its history.