My Philosophical Development

About “My Philosophical Development”

Bertrand Russell's work is an autobiographical account of his philosophical development. He reflects on his Hegelian period and includes previously unpublished notes on a Hegelian philosophy of science. Russell then discusses his shift away from idealism and his adoption of mathematical logic influenced by Giuseppe Peano. He analyzes the Principia Mathematica and later addresses the problems of perception in Our Knowledge of the External World. A chapter on Ludwig Wittgenstein examines what Russell now accepts and rejects in Wittgenstein's ideas. He also considers the impact of William James's view on sensation and perception. Russell clarifies misunderstandings about his theories on perception and scientific knowledge. The work concludes with reprints of articles on modern Oxford philosophy.