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Full Idea
In the beginning Russell's ontology included matter as basic, to be known, however, only by inference from sense-data. By the end he wanted to 'contruct' matter from sense-data.
Gist of Idea
At first matter is basic and known by sense-data; later Russell says matter is constructed
Source
report of Bertrand Russell (The Analysis of Matter [1927]) by Bernard Linsky - Russell's Metaphysical Logic 1
Book Ref
Linsky,Bernard: 'Russell's Metaphysical Logic' [CSLI 1999], p.5
A Reaction
[see also p.133] Russell always seems to have been a robust realist about the external world, but the later view seems a lot less realist than the earlier view.
Related Idea
Idea 21722 Better to construct from what is known, than to infer what is unknown [Russell]
| 6402 | In 1927, Russell analysed force and matter in terms of events [Russell, by Grayling] |
| 6418 | Russell rejected phenomenalism because it couldn't account for causal relations [Russell, by Grayling] |
| 21706 | At first matter is basic and known by sense-data; later Russell says matter is constructed [Russell, by Linsky,B] |
| 14732 | A perceived physical object is events grouped around a centre [Russell] |
| 14733 | An object produces the same percepts with or without a substance, so that is irrelevant to science [Russell] |