If one reads with a certain attention Russell’s preface to the Principles of mathematics, s/he notes that Russell begins his philosophical analysis attempting to explain how it is possible that in a compound motion many different forces acting on the same material particle disappear in the effect, I.e. acceleration, which is the only resultant one. Facing this problem of philosophy of physics, brought him to investigate geometry, algebra, logic, language etc. His excessive trust in the logical form drove him to invent analytic epistemology and metaphysics as a priori disciplines. Indeed at the end of the book, discussing the case of many forces and one acceleration, he understood that the traditional notion of cause is completely obsolete in Newtonian physics. The point was already clear to Hume and Kant, but in the meantime the damage was done! Analytic philosophy was born.
