Bertrand Russell: Philosophy in an Hour

by Paul Strathern

Philosophy for busy people. Read a succinct account of the philosophy of Russell in just one hour.

Bertrand Russell claimed to be driven by three great passions that drove his personal as well as his intellectual life: a longing for love, a quest for knowledge and a heart-rending pity for human suffering. His philosophical outlook, which took deep account of the science of his time, was nonetheless rooted in logic and empiricism. Russell's greatest efforts were made in epistemology - the search for the ultimate grounds of our knowledge about the world. How can we be certain that what we know is true? Where lies the certainty in our experience of the world?

Here is a concise, expert account of Bertrand Russell's life and philosophical ideas - entertainingly written and easy to understand. Also included are selections from Bertrand Russell's work, suggested further reading, and chronologies that place Russell in the context of the broader scheme of philosophy.

• ISBN13: 9780007466245
• Publish Date: 7 June 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HarperPress
• Edition: Digital original
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 94
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[brokentune]

In the course of a public lecture, Russell claimed that it was not possible to break the rules of mathematics without disastrous consequences. Once a false mathematical statement was introduced, it was possible to prove anything.
At this point a voice from the back of the crowd interrupted him: ‘If two multiplied by two is five, then you must be able to show that I am the Pope. Prove it!’
Without hesitation Russell replied: ‘If two multiplied by two is five, then four equals five. Subtract three from both sides, then one equals two. But you and the Pope are two, therefore you and the Pope are one.’

This is a good and quick introduction to Bertrand Russel. However, because the book tries to combine biography, entertaining tid-bits, and philosophical theory - the investigation of Russell's work is really limited.

Still, a nice introduction.