BR TO GILBERT MURRAY, 12 JULY 1911
BRACERS 52348. ALS. Murray papers, Bodleian
Edited by W. Bruneau. Proofread by A.G. Bone

The View, Upper Wyche,
Malvern.1
12. July. 1911

Dear Gilbert

I am writing my book for your series and have written more than half of it. I find, however, that one or two things are happening to it which you may not desire. In the first place, I find it deals almost entirely with theory of knowledge, only occasionally arriving at metaphysics through theory of knowledge. This seems difficult to avoid owing to the exclusion of religion and ethics. In the second place, I find that, quite contrary to my intention, it is an exposition of my own views, not an impartial account of what is thought by various philosophers. I found it impossible to write interestingly or freely or with conviction, unless I was trying to persuade the reader to agree with me. In the third place, I find that after the first few chapters it grows rather difficult. It remains quite easily intelligible, without trouble, to any educated man, however little he may know about philosophy; but it would be difficult for a shop-assistant, unless he were unusually intelligent. I hardly know myself whether it is too difficult or not. If it is, I must re-write it.

Don’t bother to answer if you think it will be all right. But if you really wish stupid shop-assistants to be able to read it in armchairs, I must do it again. My chapters are so far:

I Appearance and Reality
II The existence of matter
III The nature of matter
IV Idealism
V Knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description
VI Induction
VII On our knowledge of general principles
VIII How à priori knowledge is possible
IX The world of universals [on Plato and Ideas]
X On our knowledge of universals.
XI On intuitive knowledge.

The chapters grow naturally out of each other, and but for doubt about difficulty I should be satisfied with the stuff.

Love to Mary.

Yrs aff
B. Russell.

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