My Philosophical Development

In this intellectual retrospective, Bertrand Russell traces the evolution of his logical and metaphysical convictions across six decades. He details his early rejection of Hegelian idealism in favor of a realist pluralism, documenting the rigorous effort required to write Principia Mathematica. The narrative examines his shifting views on the nature of truth, his adoption of logical atomism, and the construction of his neutral monism. Russell addresses the technical challenges of relating private sensory experience to the public physical world, offering specific rebuttals to the linguistic philosophy that gained prominence in his later years.

This text serves students of analytic philosophy and logic who require a firsthand account of the field's origins. Readers gain an understanding of how philosophical positions are dismantled and rebuilt under the pressure of new evidence or structural contradictions. By following Russell's self-corrections, the reader learns to distinguish between psychological certainty and logical proof. The book provides a clear map of the development of twentieth-century thought, leaving the audience with a precise framework for assessing the relationship between language, perception, and external reality.