Bertrand Russell’s Transition to the Higher-Order Theory of Existence

Abstract I argue that, in the period 1910–15, Bertrand Russell’s theory of existence is inconsistent with his theory of acquaintance. This inconsistency not only highlights that Russell’s thinking about existence is bound up with his epistemology, but also shows that it is only in 1918–19 that he finally comes to his influential higher-order theory of existence. Finally, I briefly argue that Russell’s eventual rejection of the distinction between being and existence goes hand-in-hand with his acceptance of a theory of universals according to which they are essentially predicative.