The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell | Book Review
How Russell Makes Philosophy Feel Urgent and Alive
I’m Ahead of the Curve, and in this book review, I’ll be discussing Bertrand Russell’s The Problems of Philosophy, published in 1912.
This is the first book by Russell that I’ve read, and wow—it’s fascinating. Truly fascinating. It certainly won’t be the last of his works I pick up.
The book is exactly what the title suggests: a deep dive into philosophy. It covers metaphysics, idealism, empiricism, psychology, and religion. Russell examines the most fundamental claims of philosophy, exploring thinkers like Descartes and several Greek philosophers. He explains their core teachings, offering his own educated opinions on what they got right, what they got wrong, and includes many thought-provoking experiments throughout.
I’ll be sharing several quotes from Russell in this review. Here’s the first:
“It will be seen that minds do not create truth or falsehood; they create beliefs. But when once the beliefs are created, the mind cannot make them true or false—except in the special case where they concern future things within the power of the person believing, such as catching trains. What makes a belief true is a fact, and this fact, except in exceptional cases, does not in any way involve the mind of the person who has the belief.”
When I say Russell gets to the very foundation of understanding truth and reality, I mean it. He goes as deep as Descartes, who famously said, “I think, therefore I am.” Like Descartes, Russell works from the very bottom—establishing what we can truly know—before building upward.
Here’s another quote, this time doubting knowledge itself but adding a metaphysical perspective:
“It is, of course, possible that all or any of our beliefs may be mistaken, and therefore all ought to be held with at least some slight element of doubt. But we cannot have reason to reject a belief except on the grounds of some other belief. By organizing our instinctive beliefs and their consequences, by considering which among them is most possible, if necessary to modify or abandon, we can arrive—on the basis of accepting as our sole data what we instinctively believe—at an orderly, systematic organization of our knowledge. In which, if error remains, its likelihood is diminished by the interrelation of the parts and by the critical scrutiny which has preceded acquiescence.”
The final chapter stood out to me because Russell focuses on why philosophy should be valued and taken seriously. I’ve also spoken about this topic in my hour-long conversation with The Conscious Shift on my channel.
Russell notes that practical people often dismiss philosophy, seeing it as a search for answers we can’t truly know. But he makes a brilliant point: every doctrine begins as philosophy. Before a field can become biology or chemistry, it must first be “philosophized.” This, in my view, is the best defense of philosophy I’ve ever heard. It’s essential for determining which doctrines are worth taking seriously in the first place.
Here’s a quote that sums it up:
“Philosophy, though unable to tell us with certainty what is the true answer to the doubts which it raises, is able to suggest many possibilities which enlarge our thoughts and free them from the tyranny of custom.”
Russell explains that while a scientist can point to proven facts in their field—like a biologist citing evolution—a philosopher can’t claim definitive truths in the same way. But that’s the wrong question. Without philosophy, we wouldn’t even know which subjects are worth studying.
Like most philosophical texts, this book can be dense at times. But I thoroughly enjoyed it—mainly because of the thought experiments. Russell’s writing is smooth, clear, and engaging. Even if the subject matter itself is challenging, his style makes it approachable.
It’s also very short; I finished it in just a few days. Because of its brevity, clarity, and depth, it has become one of my favorite philosophy books. Russell is empirical and materialistic in his thinking, yet he still addresses—and often refutes—religious metaphysical claims with solid arguments.
This review is shorter than most of my others, but I wanted to highlight both the book and Russell himself—not only as a philosopher and writer, but as a true polymath. I highly recommend The Problems of Philosophy to anyone interested in philosophy, metaphysics, or religion.
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Excellent book!
Great review. You capture well how Russell builds from the basics to deliver a clear, thought-provoking analysis. I especially liked your point about philosophy as the foundation of all disciplines—a timely reminder of why it remains essential.