Bertrand Russell’s Philosophy of Mind
Oxford University Press eBooks May 21, 2026 Donovan Wishon
This chapter traces the development of Bertrand Russell's philosophy of mind from panpsychism and idealism through dualism to neutral monism. It contends that Russell's positions were consistently shaped by engagement with empirical psychology and natural science. His changing accounts of mentality were tied to evolving views about experience, the subject of experience, and introspection. The trajectory is argued to be more complex and less linear than often acknowledged, involving both continuities and substantive revisions.