The Continuing Importance of Bertrand Russell (original) (raw)

Review of Bertrand Russell's Autobiography

Essays in Philosophy, 2003

Michael Foot's introduction to this new edition of Bertrand Russell's autobiography locates it in a controversy with Ray Monk's biographical study (the first volume of which appeared in 1996, the second in 2001). Foot takes note of Monk's claim to deal with "philosophical questions overlooked or bowdlerized by previous biographers or by Russell himself" (ix) but sees his study as an attack on Russell's reputation. He introduces the autobiography as evidence that Russell took "the precaution of speaking for himself" (x). Foot goes on to discuss some of the risks involved in autobiography, particularly the dual risk of falling victim to hubris or appearing to do so. It is a tribute to Russell that Foot believes the best response to Monk's attack is not to defend him but rather to let him speak for himself–not to publish another new biography but to republish Russell's account of his own life. Essays in Philosophy, Vol. 4 No. 2, June 2003

Cambridge Philosophers IX: Bertrand Russell

Philosophy, 1999

This paper attempts to summarise the philosophical career of Bertrand Russell, concentrating in particular on his contributions to logic and the philosophy of mathematics. It takes as its starting point Russell's conception of philosophy as the search for foundations upon which certain knowledge might be built, a search which Russell, at the end of his career, declared to be fruitless. In pursuing this search, however, Russell was led to develop lines of thought and techniques of analysis that have had a profound and lasting influence on the philosophy of the twentieth century.

Bertrand Russell on the Value of Philosophy

Russell gave a restrictive, technical definition of philosophy early in his career, but he belied this over the next 50 years with his voluminous writings on human nature, war and peace, the good life, the best society, and the future of the world. We should study these seriously to understand him.

Problems of Philosophy (Russell) - A critical Review/Essay (Phil.2) [Jun 2017]

This is a review of this very influential “little” book by a man who was one of my early heroes but who fails to deliver convincing argumentation in this (therefore) disappointing book. Professional philosophers like to define philosophy as “thinking about thinking” [see “The Oxford Companion to Philosophy” p. 666 – referred to later as ‘Oxon’] but the practice of philosophy has been an extended attempt by western intellectuals to construct verbal models of the world we live in. Historically, philosophy has focused on three key areas: the nature of the world (metaphysics especially the theory of existence – ontology), the justification of belief (theory of knowledge – epistemology) and the conduct of human affairs (the theory of value – ethics).

The Problems of Philosophy - Bertrand Russell

In the following pages I have confined myself in the main to those problems of philosophy in regard to which I thought it possible to say something positive and constructive, since merely negative criticism seemed out of place. For this reason, theory of knowledge occupies a larger space than metaphysics in the present volume, and some topics much discussed by philosophers are treated very briefly, if at all. I have derived valuable assistance from unpublished writings of G. E. Moore and J. M. Keynes: from the former, as regards the relations of sense-data to physical objects, and from the latter as regards probability and induction. I have also profited greatly by the criticisms and suggestions of Professor Gilbert Murray.