180215 LPS Russell: The Analysis of Mind (1921) (2024W)

Content of the Course:
The course consists in the reading, discussion and interpretation of a classical text of analytic philosophy: Bertrand Russell’s The Analysis of Mind (1921). After his groundbreaking work in symbolic logic, Russell (1872-1970) dedicated this book to central questions in the philosophy of mind and psychology: what is the nature of the human mind in the light of the developments in modern psychology (psychoanalysis, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, animal psychology)? Russell addresses such topics as the role of consciousness in our mind, the nature of belief, desire, memory, emotion, perception and introspection as well as the capacity of the mind and of language to acquire meaning and to represent the world. The book offers also a solution to the mind-body problem and defends a version of neutral monism (matter and mind are both made of a “neutral stuff” which in itself is neither mental nor material). Besides these topics in the philosophy of mind, Russell’s book analyzes also questions in the philosophy of language: what is the nature of propositions; how do words and signs acquire meaning; what is the nature of meaning itself and can the meaning of words (and thoughts) be explained in a scientific way? Besides introducing into central problems in the philosophy of mind, Russell’s book addresses more broadly questions in epistemology and the philosophy of language. More generally, the book can be read as an introduction into basic problems of analytic philosophy.
The Analysis of Mind is a seminal text in analytic philosophy. It had a great impact on leading philosophers of this tradition such as on Ludwig Wittgenstein, Frank Ramsey, Rudolf Carnap and the Vienna Circle. Recently, the book gained great attention through a revival of neutral monism in contemporary philosophy of mind. Russell’s position on the mind-body-problem is now broadly discussed by leading analytic philosophers under the label of “Russellian monism” (see Kriegel 2013).
Russell’s book ideally fits as an introduction into central problems of theoretical philosophy in the analytic tradition and into the main debates in this tradition. Despite the complexity of the issues addressed by Russell, the clarity and simplicity of his style makes the book very accessible.
The course will consist in the reading, discussion and interpretation, chapter by chapter, of the book. It will thereby offer an introduction into central problems of analytic philosophy as well as introduce into the main positions of Russell’s philosophy. The course does not require any specific previous knowledge in analytic philosophy or logic.

Methods:
Reading and discussion of the chapters of the book. In every session of the course, a chapter of the book will be presented. The course will offer a detailed analysis of the text and discuss its historical and scientific context. Students will write a short reading comment on each chapter and submit it before each session. In the discussion, we will address the questions raised in the student’s reading comments. In a final paper, students will focus on a specific topic of their choice addressed by Russell’s book.