Bertrand Russell

British philosopher, logician and mathematician (1872–1970)

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About

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was a British philosopher, logician and mathematician, a leading figure in analytic philosophy. With Alfred North Whitehead, he co-authored Principia Mathematica (1910-1913), an attempt to reduce mathematics to logic. He discovered Russell's paradox (1901) and developed the theory of types. A pacifist, he was imprisoned during World War I and later became an anti-nuclear activist, founding president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (1958). He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 for his humanitarian writings and defense of freedom of thought.

* 1872-05-18 — † 1970-02-02

Major works

Principia Mathematica (1910-1913)mathematical logic work
The Problems of Philosophy (1912)philosophy book
Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy (1919)philosophy of mathematics book
A History of Western Philosophy (1945)history of philosophy
Human Knowledge: Its Scope and Limits (1948)philosophy book

Key milestones

1901Discovers Russell's paradox, which undermines naïve set theory.
1950Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
1958Founds and presides over the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

Themes

Logic and foundations of mathematicPhilosophy of languagePacifism and anti-nuclear activismFreedom of thoughtEpistemology

Sources: plato.stanford.edu · nobelprize.org · britannica.com

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”

— Bertrand RussellTheme · Philosophy

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“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”

— Bertrand RussellTheme · Philosophy

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“The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.”

— Bertrand RussellTheme · Philosophy

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“Nothing of importance is ever achieved without discipline. I feel myself sometimes not wholly in sympathy with some modern educational theorists, because I think that they underestimate the part that discipline plays. But the discipline you have in your life should be one determined by your own desires and your own needs, not put upon you by society or authority.”

— Bertrand RussellTheme · Education

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