Note: This will probably remain a blog post until I find a biography of Russell and add a summary of his life to this work.
Bertrand Arthur William Russell (1872-1970) was a philosopher and mathematician. Russell is best known for his influence on mathematics and analytical philosophy.
Life[]
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Writing style[]
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Views[]
Philosophy[]
Extremely invested in the field of philosophy, Russell's views in youth were utilitarian. As Russell grew older, he distanced himself from those views. In The Problems of Philosophy, Russell is critical of the idealist views of George Berkeley.
rest to be added
Politics and religion[]
Russell was an avowed pacifist with anti-imperialist views. While he viewed World War II as the "lesser of neccesary evils", Russell was critical of both World War I and the Vietnam War (with the former leading to him being jailed). Russell was critical of the Stalinist government and viewed American hegemony as better than Soviet hegemony.
A devout atheist, Russell's atheism was most notably shown in his essay "Why I Am Not a Christian".
Written works[]
- The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell
Philosophy[]
- On Denoting (essay printed in Mind)
- The Problems of Philosophy
- Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays
- Marriage and Morals
- In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays
- A History of Western Philosophy
- My Philosophical Development
Mathematics[]
- The Principles of Mathematics
- Principia Mathematica (with Alfred North Whitehead)
- Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy
Politics and religion[]
- Why Men Fight
- Political Ideals
- Free Thought and Official Propaganda
- Why I Am Not a Christian
- Power: A New Social Analysis
Appearances in fiction[]
- Paul Magrs' Doctor Who novel The Scarlet Empress mentions an encounter between Russell, the Doctor, Christopher Isherwood, Aldous Huxley, and Greta Garbo.
- Matt Smith's Judge Dredd comic In Through the Out Door features a "Bertrand Russell Block".
Works on Bertrand Russell[]
- Russell by Alfred Julius Ayer
- Bertrand Russell by Alfred Julius Ayer (these two may be the same book)
- Bertrand Russell's Theory of Knowledge by Elizabeth Ramsey Eames
- Bertrand Russell: A Psychobiography of a Moralist by Andrew Brink
See also[]
- Gottlob Frege
- Gottfried Leibniz
- G.E. Moore
- Ludwig Wittgenstein
- A.N. Whitehead
- Albert Einstein
Sources[]
- Wikipedia
- TARDIS Wiki