Bertrand Russell's Bundle Theory of Particulars

Russell's later philosophy has been scandalously ignored, and no part of it more so than his final metaphysics in which he treated particulars as bundles of universals. This almost total silence about Russell's bundle theory is now remedied by Gülberk Koç Maclean, whose book provides a detailed exposition of the theory and defends it against the standard charges made against bundle theories of particulars. Her books fills an important gap in the literature on Russell. Hopefully, it will stimulate further work on Russell's later philosophy. -- Nicholas Griffin, Canada Research Chair in Philosophy, McMaster University, Canada
The great value of this book lies in its exquisite critical exploration of the evolution of Russell’s theories of universals and particulars. What topic is more central to philosophy and to Russell scholarship? It is not often appreciated that Russell redesigned his construction of matter in Human Knowledge: Its Scope and Its Limits. This book expertly guides us through it, preserving the integrity of Russell’s logical atomism and neutral monism amidst the changes. Events give way to bundles. “A transient particular is a complex of compresence…. the coexistence of certain qualities.” Whether any bundle theory of particulars may be viable can only be known by reading this excellent chronicle of Russell’s engagements with the horary difficulties about the one and the many. -- Gregory Landini, Professor of Philosophy, University of Iowa, USA