Bertrand Russell
Philosopher, logician and mathematician
Bertrand Russell was a philosopher, logician and mathematician who won the 1950 Nobel Prize in Literature. He also brought philosophy to a general audience.
2 summaries 33 min of listening
British Born 1872 in Trellech, United Kingdom Died 1970
Influenced by David Hume, John Stuart Mill, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Thomas Paine, Albert Einstein
About Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell (1872 to 1970) is counted among the founders of analytic philosophy. His pioneering work covered logic, set theory and the philosophy of language. With his former teacher Alfred North Whitehead, he wrote Principia Mathematica, a major attempt to reduce mathematics to logic. Russell was also known for his public commentary on social and political questions. He was a pacifist who went to prison during the First World War, and he later became an outspoken supporter of nuclear disarmament. In 1950 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature for writing that championed humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought. His books include The Conquest of Happiness and The Problems of Philosophy.