Who is Bertrand Russell?

One of the most prominent intellectuals of the 20th century, Bertrand Russell, was a British logician and philosopher. He left an indelible mark on many areas, including the philosophy of mathematics. Alongside his colleagues and predecessors Gottlob Frege, G. E. Moore, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, Russel is considered the founder of analytic philosophy.

Russell led the British revolt against idealism with Moore and wrote Principia Mathematica with Alfred North Whitehead, which is considered a milestone in classical logic, reducing mathematics completely to logic. Furthermore, his famous On Denoting article from Mind magazine in 1905 is considered a paradigm of philosophy that still sparks debates today.

Although responsible for philosophical development, Russell wasn’t a stranger to controversy. Namely, he advocated preventive nuclear war and would often say that he would welcome a world government. He was also in prison during World War I for his pacifism. Yet, none of this stopped him from winning the Nobel Prize in Literature for championing the freedom of thought.

A brief biography of Bertrand Russell and his stance on philosophy

Born in Monmouthshire, UK, in 1872, Bertrand Arthur William Russell came from a powerful liberal family of English aristocrats. In fact, his grandfather, Earl Russell, was prime minister two times in the 19th century. He spent his childhood days in London and questioned religious dogmas and axioms while still a teenager, which was anything but common at the time.

Russell attended Trinity College, Cambridge. It was at that time that he met Moore, Whitehead, and Alys Pearsall Smith, who was his first wife. Not long after his mathematics studies, he started writing philosophy pieces such as his Sceptical Essays and famous study of German Social Democracy, which he taught at the London School of Economics.

In the last few years of the 19th century, Russell started working on the foundations of mathematics, publishing An Essay on the Foundations of Geometry. Later on, he would come up with the famous Russell’s paradox, with The Principles of Mathematics following soon after. He also taught logical atomism at Cambridge and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

During the First World War, he was imprisoned for his pacifistic ideas. Nevertheless, his time in prison didn’t stop him from working, as he wrote Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy and started work on The Analysis of Mind. After the war, he traveled to Russia, met his second wife, Dora Black, and wrote The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism.

Before World War II, Russel taught at universities in America, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. While in NYC, he wrote Marriage and Morals and A History of Western Philosophy. After Berlin was separated between East and West, he advocated for nuclear weapons to be used against the USSR, but later changed his position in The Russell-Einstein Manifesto.

In 1949, Russel won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Several years after, he relocated to Penrhyndeudraeth in Wales with his fourth wife, Edith. After he died in 1970, he received numerous posthumous awards, as well as a bust in Red Lion Square, London, which was commissioned by a committee of which A. J. Ayer was a member.

The Russell-Whitehead Principia Mathematica

In 1910, Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead wrote Principia Mathematica. This seminal work is intended to create a paradox-free reduction of math theorems to logic. To do so, they had to maneuver their way between Kant, Aristotle, and Frege. Principia Mathematica is regarded as one of the most important works about mathematics and logic of the 20th century.

Some of Russell’s top books

During his life, Bertrand Russell authored numerous books about mathematical logic and philosophical essays that elevated human knowledge about the world. Of course, Russell’s books are many, and we won’t mention them all, including A Free Man’s Worship or In Praise of Idleness. Nevertheless, we compiled a list of his most famous works, many of which are in audiobook format, for you to enjoy.

Principles of Mathematics (1903)

Starting way back in 1903, we have to mention Russell’s Principles of Mathematics. This is the first book about the foundations of mathematics in English. It aims to explain how mathematics and logic are, at their core, identical without delving into symbolism.

Our Knowledge of the External World (1914)

In Our Knowledge of the External World, Bertrand Russell explains that logical atomism is the key to understanding the physical world. In his opinion, neither intellect nor intuition supply new data—only sensation. It is a fascinating read, well worthy of your time.

Principia Mathematica (1910-1913) (with Alfred North Whitehead)

As mentioned, one of Russell’s most famous works was co-authored with Alfred North Whitehead, called Principia Mathematica, published by University Press. In the book, they attempt to explain that logic is the most accurate and, in turn, the only general language to comprehend the scope and limits of reality.

Roads to Freedom: Socialism, Anarchism, and Syndicalism (1918)

Finished just before he was imprisoned during World War I, Russell’s Roads to Freedom is his manifesto on political ideals. It talks about the relations between socialism, Marx, and anarchism, critiquing them but also showing respect for what they attempted to achieve.

Human Society in Ethics and Politics (1954)

Human Society in Ethics and Politics is Russel’s final account of his political and ethical positions in relation to politics and religion. In the book, he argues that ethics are essential due to the constant battle between intelligence and impulse. Without one of them, ethics wouldn’t need to exist.

Education and the Social Order (1932)

Although he never managed to create a perfect school, Russel remained focused on improving education by eliminating different forms of repression. In Education and the Social Order, he critiques religion, chauvinism, class differences, and private schools and gives his most sincere thoughts on education and society as a whole.

A closer look at Russell’s view on history, religion, and mankind

The philosophy of Bertrand Russell was largely influenced by Leibniz, and he is considered one of the pioneers of analytic philosophy, which emphasizes language, logic, and the study of concepts. Nevertheless, when it comes to God and religion, he considered himself an atheist. He considered it dangerous and the root of all evil in the world, best seen in his seminal title, Why I Am Not a Christian, which you can listen to right here on Speechify.

Looking into The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, it’s clear that he was a first-class leftist and believed in the principles of social reconstruction. He called for the collective West to recognize communist China as a state, and he wrote The Problem of China. On the other hand, he supported gay rights at a time when such ideas were deemed questionable at best. Yet, to understand him best, we advise that you listen to his book What I Believe, that’s available here on Speechify.

Listen to more renowned philosophers with Speechify audiobooks

In case you’re interested in works by the late great Bertrand Russell, you can always count on Speechify’s audiobook collection. Besides the mentioned works, you listen to his The Conquest of Happiness as well as other famous philosophers and logicians, such as Noam Chomsky and Gödel, tackling mysticism and logic, as well as the theory of knowledge.

Nevertheless, Russell isn’t the only reason to try Speechify. Instead, its audiobook catalog consists of over 70,000, both non-fiction and fiction. And if you decide to subscribe, your first premium audiobook will be free. Moreover, if you choose Speechify Audiobooks as your audiobook source, you’ll get to listen to them across a range of devices—from smartphones to tablets to computers.

FAQ

What are the two problems of mankind, according to Russell?

According to Russel, mankind faced two problems – cruelty of nature itself, and mankind’s own cruelty towards fellow man.

What was Russell’s involvement in the women’s suffrage movement?

Bertrand Russell defended women’s right to vote in front of a crowd of thousands in Washington, which was more than brave at the time.