Husserl and Russell, 1911–1913

Abstract

The objective of the paper is to compare Russell’s work from 1911–13, a period in
which he was most creative, to that of Husserl in the same period. I propose to
discuss five topics on which the two philosophers came to astonishingly similar
results.

(1) Russell believed that the prime task of philosophy is to discover and describe
logical forms; Husserl claimed that it is to describe phenomena. Logical
forms/phenomena are a priori and radically different from natural facts. (2) Logical
forms/phenomena are to be arrived at through logical analysis/eidetic reduction. (3)
Both Russell and Husserl accepted the kind of philosophy which criticizes the
“natural attitude”. (4) Russell was indirectly influenced by Husserl’s attempt to
classify all the elements that can occur as constituents of mental phenomena. (5)
Both Husserl and Russell made analyses of common sense objects in terms of their
perspectives and profiles.