Bertrand Russell’s Philosophy of Mind
Donovan Wishon
Oxford University Press eBooks May 21, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190845667.013.12 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Subject documents Idealism Scope computer science Natural archaeology Experimental philosophy Epistemology Empirical evidence |
| Key points | Argues that Russell's philosophy of mind was consistently shaped by empirical psychology and natural science, and that his trajectory is more complex and less linear than often acknowledged. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter traces the development of Bertrand Russell’s philosophy of mind from his early engagements with panpsychism and idealism through his dualist period and finally to his mature neutral monism. It advances three central claims. First, Russell’s positions on the mind are consistently shaped by his sustained engagement with empirical psychology and the natural sciences. Second, his shifting accounts of mentality are closely tied to evolving views about experience, the subject of experience, and the scope and limits of introspection. Third, the trajectory of Russell’s philosophy of mind is more complex and less linear than is often acknowledged, involving significant continuities as well as substantive revisions.
Comparable studies
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| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |