Russell’s Higher-Order Judgement Relation

Abstract

This chapter radically redraws the relationship between Russell and Wittgenstein in the 1910s, overturning the orthodox theory that Wittgenstein sunk Russell’s multiple theory of judgement. Starting from 1903, the chapter explains how Russell’s conception of the particular–universal distinction evolved under pressure from both developments in his thinking about the nature of judgement and the nature of relations, concerning the unity of the former and the direction of the latter. This shows that Russell wasn’t overcome by Wittgenstein’s criticisms of his multiple relation theory of judgement in 1913 and that Russell continued to develop the multiple relation theory up until 1919.