Take on Bertrand Russell?

I haven't the education to appreciate him as a mathematicion. I read his autobiography and three or four books dealing with philosophy, peace and atheism. All back in 1967-8. I admired his peace activism most of all. He helped negotiate to calm things between Pakistan and India, once, when war seemed inevitable. I haven't given him a lot of thought in some years, now.

Thanks, Edgar, I appreciate your input.

i'd take on bertrand russell, he's dead, how tough could the fight be



unless he's some kind of zombie philosopher, that might be a problem

It would be foolish on Russell's part to even contemplate a fight with you - the dude stands no chance.

Russell was one of the greatest and most influential philosophers of the 20th century (along with G.E. Moore, and L. Wittgenstein). He wrote voluminously, and what he wrote varies a lot in quality. Some of what he wrote he simply tossed off, and some of that he wrote are pot boilers that he wrote strictly for money. But he also wrote great and enduring work, like, An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth and his famous theory of descriptions that can be found in many places has been called (by G.E. Moore) "a paradigm of philosophy". I have never read the first book, but I think I have read some of the second. They are not, I think, epitomes of his work.

Good stuff, Kennethamy.

Which other works of Russell would you suggest I read?

Oh, and my bad, the second book is not Empirical Essay - it is Sceptical Essays. Sorry for the error!

As others have mentioned in this thread, Bertrand Russell was an important 20th century philosopher. One of the things I most admired about him was his style of writing which was characterized by a great ability to explain very complex matters in such a way that his readers could understand them. He was also very knowledgeable about the teachings of previous and contemporary philosophers and wrote a wonderful book called "A History of Western Philosophy" which explains in great clarity the philosophies of all the major philosophers from ancient times to the modern era.

Certainly, The Problems of Philosophy which is available on the Web. Mysticism and Logic, and Human Knowledge (Besides Inquiry into Meaning and Truth I have already mentioned. Maybe, The Conquest of Happiness. But that is for light reading. The History of Western Philosophy is o.k.. But it is a kind of high-class pot boiler, and you won't learn much from it unless you already know very little. A much better book (not by Russell) is Anthony Flew's An Introduction to Western Philosophy.

On caveats....
Read Dora Russell's "The Tamarisk Tree" for an insight into Russell's unconventional attitude to human relationships.

Great feedback! Thanks everyone - fresco, kenneth and seashell!

Cant' wait to take on Rusell. <wink>