Essay on Bertrand Russell - 5284 Words

Bertrand Russell Introduction Bertrand Russell was one of the preeminent thinkers of the 20th century. His work on mathematical logic laid the basis for a good portion of modern mathematics; his political thought was influential both in his time and after; and his philosophical thought is both complicated and highly intelligent. He is considered one of the two or three most important logicians of the 20th century. During his lifetime he was a high profile figure and grew to have a high degree of respectability -- in fact, he died at age 97, in 1970, so during his own lifetime he saw his own fame grow to immense proportions. He also fits Howard Gardners ideas on genius in many ways, although not all of them, as we shall see. But†¦show more content†¦It was a huge, daunting undertaking; along the way, Russell enlisted the help of his friend, Alfred North Whitehead, and the task of writing the book took over ten years. The book is complicated; exceedingly complicated, in fact. Russell biographer Ray Monk calls it almost totally incomprehensible, and Russell himself recognized that he had written a work that few in the world would ever read and fewer would understand. The three volume work, which is filled with symbols that Russell and Whitehead devised for the specific purpose of writing the book, doesnt even reach the occasionally useful proof of 1 + 1 = 2 until almost halfway through. On top of this, Russell ran into a paradox while writing the book. This paradox, called Russells Paradox, deals with the set of all sets that are not members of themselves. Attempting to construct such a set leads to an unavoidable paradox. It is analogous to the thought problem: If the barber is defined as someone who cuts the hair of those people who do not cut their own hair, who cuts the barbers hair? This logical problem dogged Russell incessantly and was a flaw in the architecture of Principia Mathematica. In fact, later in the century, the logician Kurt Godel proved that, as Monk puts it: there can . . . be no logical theory within which all truths about numbers can be derived as theorems; all logicalShow MoreRelatedBertrand Russell And The Greatest Philosopher1261 Words   |  6 PagesBERTRAND RUSSELL Bertrand Russell was born on May 18, 1872 into British aristocracy, In 1931 career centered on work as a philosophy professor, writer and public lecturer. He not only knew but worked with many dominant figures in the late 19th and 20th century as a philosopher, a mathematician, science as well as politics. Russell was arguably the greatest philosopher in the 20th century. Although Russell was a decent man he got most of his ideas from Gottolob Frege, a German mathematician, logicianRead MoreThe Value Of Philosophy By Bertrand Russell803 Words   |  4 PagesThe essay The Value of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell suggests that many â€Å"practical† people view philosophy as rather useless, because these people are – according to Bertrand Russell – operating both with wrong conceptions about the ends of life and wrong conceptions about what goods philosophy strives to achieve. According to Russell the value of philosophy is in what it does for the person who studies it. He makes the point that goods of the mind are as important in life as goods of the bodyRead MoreWhat Work Is Really For By Bertrand Russell1315 Words   |  6 PagesBert rand Russell author of, â€Å"In Praise of Idleness,† and Gary Gutting, author of, â€Å"What Work Is Really For,† both introduced persuading argument justifying their respective views on work and leisure. 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Russell wasRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Problems Of Philosophy By Bertrand Russell1907 Words   |  8 PagesBertrand Russell, was a famous British logician, mathematician, essayist, and philosopher. He has made many contributions on certain subjects, most notably the subject of philosophy. One of his most influential works in philosophy was the book â€Å"Problems of Philosophy†. In this book, he addresses certain philosophical issues that tend to be a problem in terms of what is true or false in our universe. In this essay, chapter one and two will b e analyzed. These chapters will explain Bertrand Russell’sRead MoreFamous Thinkers Essay Dr. King and Bertrand Russell1363 Words   |  6 Pagessimilarities in that allow them to hold the position a â€Å"famous thinker.† Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929-April 3, 1929) and Bertrand Russell (May 18, 1872-February 2, 1970) are two famous thinkers that are discussed in this paper. Each of these men changed the way people viewed the issues of the day through the creative process. King and Russell made identifiable contributions to society during an era of difficult social times. The subject matter of this paper will investigate dilemmasRead MoreAnalysis of Bertrand Russell ´s The Problems of Philosphy Essay1048 Words   |  5 Pages06455401 1) The philosopher Bertrand Russell in his work, â€Å"The Problems of Philosophy,† comes to some conclusions of the truth of objects in our world. Through questioning certain ideas and problems in our world, he breaks down what can know what really exists in the world and what does not. Russell, an empiricist, believes that through our sensory perception of our environment. However, our own individual perception can be skewed, and therefore is susceptible to err. Russell gives an example of threeRead MoreThe Problems Of Philosophy By Bertrand Russell, Ayn Rand, And Christopher Hitchens1778 Words   |  8 Pagespotential and utilized it to its fullest. In the following essay, three prominent philosophers; Bertrand Russell, Ayn Rand, and Christopher Hitchens. Each gives their insight to three important topics; the value of philosophy, using philosophy and its value, and the importance of freedom of speech. All of whom will be discussed, and agreement or disagreement will also be concluded and supported. Bertrand Russell’s essay â€Å"The Problems of Philosophy†, is in most ways an argument for the continuationRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Philosophy And Philosophy998 Words   |  4 Pagesbut philosophy has even formed practical human applications. Bertrand Russell details these applications created by philosophy in his work, The Problems of Philosophy. Russell details that the scientific revelations philosophy has can have the potential of producing many applications. The knowledge philosophy has produced has developed into many of the sciences of today. Russell explains that â€Å"the science of psychology† (Bertrand Russell 3) resulted from the questioning of what humans now call theRead MoreComparing Frege And Russells View On Proper Names1687 Words   |  7 Pages It is plausible to think of Frege and Russell as both being descriptivists about proper names. In what sense is that so? Why do they accept descriptivism? On the other hand, the two theories are very different. How so? Do you think Russell s view or Frege s view is superior? 2032431 Gottob Frege and Bertrand Russell are descriptivists, this is apparent with regard to proper names. I demonstrate how their theories are different from each other with respect to proper names, sentences