Organon F
Volume 33, February 2026, Issue 1, Pages 106–118
ISSN 2585-7150 (online)
Research Article
Bertrand Russell and the Ethics of Truth: A Critique of Pragmatism from James to Orwell
Evgeni Latinov
This article examines Bertrand Russell’s engagement with pragmatism through his critical yet respectful treatment of William James and John Dewey in A History of Western Philosophy (1945). While Russell endorses the metaphysical innovation of neutral monism, especially in James’s doctrine of radical empiricism, he rejects the pragmatist redefinition of truth as a function of practical success. The analysis reconstructs Russell’s main arguments against pragmatist epistemology, emphasizing his insistence on truth as correspondence between belief and reality. Particular attention is given to Russell’s theory of belief, his conception of the “bearer of truth,” and his critique of instrumentalist approaches that conflate usefulness with validity. The article concludes by drawing a parallel with George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, showing how Russell’s concerns anticipate the political and ethical risks of subordinating truth to utility. In light of current challenges such as misinformation, algorithmic manipulation, and post-truth politics, Russell’s critique emerges as a timely defense of objective truth and the conditions for free inquiry and public discourse.
Bertrand Russell; John Dewey; objectivity; pragmatism; theory of truth; William James.
Author
Evgeni Latinov
Affiliation
Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski
Address
Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Logic, Ethics and Aesthetics, 15, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, Sofia 1504, Bulgaria
Received
8 June 2025
Accepted
11 August 2025
Publishers
Institute of Philosophy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
APA
Latinov, E. (2026). Bertrand Russell and the Ethics of Truth: A Critique of Pragmatism from James to Orwell. Organon F, 33(1), 106–118. https://doi.org/10.31577/orgf.2026.33304
Chicago
Latinov, Evgeni. 2026. "Bertrand Russell and the Ethics of Truth: A Critique of Pragmatism from James to Orwell." Organon F 33 (1): 106–118. https://doi.org/10.31577/orgf.2026.33304
Harvard
Latinov, E. (2026). Bertrand Russell and the Ethics of Truth: A Critique of Pragmatism from James to Orwell. Organon F, 33(1), pp. 106–118. https://doi.org/10.31577/orgf.2026.33304
© Evgeni Latinov
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