Books by Bertrand Russell

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Book SynopsisAn Essay on the Foundations of Geometry was first published in 1897 when Bertrand Russell was 25 years old. It marks his first major foray into analytic philosophy, a movement in which Russell is one of the founding members and figurehead. It provides a brilliant insight into Russell''s early philosophical thought and an engaging and authoritative introduction to the philosophical and logical foundations of geometry - a version of which was fundamental to Einstein''s theory of relativity.Russell explores and introduces the concepts of geometry and their philosophical implications, including a historical overview of geometrical theory, making it an invaluable resource not only for students of philosophy but anyone interested in the origins of the thought of one of the twentieth century''s most important and widely-read philosophers.This Routledge Classics edition includes a new Foreword by Michael Potter.Table of ContentsForeword to the Routledge Classics Edition Michael Potter, Preface, Introduction: Our Problem Defined by its Relations to Logic, Psychology and Mathematics, 1. A Short History of Metageometry, 2. Critical Account of Some Previous Philosophical Theories of Geometry, 3. The Axioms of Projective Geometry and The Axioms of Metrical Geometry, 4. Philosophical Consequences, Index

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Book SynopsisThe Analysis of Matter is the product of thirty years of thinking by one of the twentieth century''s best-known philosophers. An inquiry into the philosophical foundations of physics, it was written against the background of stunning new developments in physics earlier in the century, above all relativity, as well as the excitement around quantum theory, which was just being developed. Concerned to place physics on a stable footing at a time of great theoretical change, Russell argues that the concept of matter itself can be replaced by a logical construction whose basic foundations are events. He is careful to point out that this does not prove that matter does not exist, but it does show that physicists can get on with their work without assuming that matter does exist. Russell argues that fundamental bits of ''''matter'''', such as electrons and protons, are simply groups of events connected in a certain way and their properties are all that are required for physiTrade Review'The whole book is candid and stimulating and, for both its subject and its treatment, one of the best that Mr. Russell has given us.' - The Times Table of ContentsIntroduction to the Routledge Classics edition John G. Slater Preface 1. The Nature of the Problem Part 1: The Logical Analysis of Physics 2. Pre-Relativity Physics 3. Electrons and Protons 4. The Theory of Quanta 5. The Special Theory of Relativity 6. The General Theory of Relativity 7. The Method of Tensors 8. Geodesics 9. Invariants and Their Physical Interpretation 10. Weyl’s Theory 11. The Principle of Differential Laws 12. Measurement 13. Matter and Space 14. The Abstractness of Physics Part 2: Physics and Perception 15. From Primitive Perception to Common Sense 16. From Common Sense to Physics 17. What is an Empirical Science 18. Our Knowledge of Particular Matters of Fact 19. Data, Inferences, Hypotheses, and Theories 20. The Causal Theory of Perception 21. Perception and Objectivity 22. The Belief in General Laws 23. Substance 24. Importance of Structure in Scientific Inference 25. Perception From the Standpoint of Physics 26. Non-Mental Analogues to Perception Part 3: The Structure of the Physical World 27. Particulars and Events 28. The Construction of Points 29. Space-Time Order 30. Causal Lines 31. Extrinsic Causal Laws 32. Physical and Perceptual Space-Time 33. Periodicity and Qualitative Series 34. Types of Physical Occurrences 35. Causality and Interval 36. The Genesis of Space-Time 37. Physics and Neutral Monism 38. Summary and Conclusion. Index

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Book SynopsisBertrand Russell wrote The Analysis of Mind during one of the most turbulent periods of his life. He began it in 1918 whilst in in prison in London for his opposition to the First World War, and completed it in Peking (now Beijing) in 1921, where he had been giving lectures at the National University. It is a vital book for understanding Russell's philosophy. He argues for a fresh conception of the mind, provided by his eclectic fusion of William Jamesâs 'neutral monism'; the emerging theory of behaviourism, to which Russell was strongly drawn; and his own new causal theory of meaning. As such, The Analysis of Mind built a foundation for the distinctive brand of much of his later philosophical writing. In his customary sharp prose, Russell explores fundamental questions about the mind, including desire and feeling; the vexed relationship between psychological and physical laws; sensations and mental images; memory; belief; and emotions and the will. TTable of ContentsIntroduction to the Routledge Classics Edition Thomas Baldwin, Preface, 1. Recent Criticisms of “Consciousness”, 2. Instinct and Habit, 3. Desire and Feeling, 4. Influence of Past History on Present Occurrences in Living Organisms, 5. Psychological and Physical Causal Laws, 6. Introspection, 7. The Definition of Perception, 8. Sensations and Images, 9. Memory, 10. Words and Meaning, 11. General Ideas and Thought, 12. Belief, 13. Truth and Falsehood, 14. Emotions and Will, 15. Characteristics of Mental Phenomena, Index

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Book SynopsisMy Philosophical Development is Russell''s intellectual autobiography and provides a fascinating insight into the extraordinary energy and philosophical ambition that saw him write over 40 books. As well as offering some fascinating glimpses into the changing nature of his philosophical beliefs, Russell also reflects on the fundamental themes that governed his thinking in later life.Beginning with an account of his decisive turn against the philosophical idealism that was prevalent in Cambridge at the turn of the century, Russell takes us through his engagement with the foundations of mathematics and the writing, with A.N. Whitehead, of Principia Mathematica. Russell also provides important insights into his theory of knowledge and the mind and conscious experience, before finishing with reflections on his work on language, universals and particulars and his theory of truth. An ideal philosophical companion to Russell''s own AutobiograpTrade Review'A work of immense fascination and distinction' - The Observer'Bertrand Russell is not only the most brilliant philosopher of this century; he is also one of the most self-critical. These qualities come out clearly in his philosophical autobiography.' - A.J.AyerTable of ContentsForeword to the Routledge Classics Edition Nicholas Griffin Prefatory note 1. Introductory Outline 2. My Present View of the World 3. First Efforts 4. Excursion into Idealism 5. Revolt into Pluralism 6. Logical Technique in Mathematics 7. Principia Mathematica: Philosophical Aspects 8. Principia Mathematica: Mathematical Aspects 9. The External World 10. The Impact of Wittgenstein 11. Theory of Knowledge 12. Consciousness and Experience 13. Language 14. Universals and Particulars and Names 15. The Definition of 'Truth' 16. Non-Demonstrative Inference 17. The Retreat from Pythagoras 18. Some Replies to Criticism Russell's Philosophy: A Study of its Development Alan Wood. Index

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Book SynopsisBertrand Russellâs study of the philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Leibniz is one of his earliest books, providing a fascinating early glimpse of his philosophical brilliance. It remains one of the most important books on this polymathic seventeenth-century thinker and the only book Russell wrote about a major philosopher.Written when Russell was only in his late twenties, it goes far beyond a mere exposition of Leibniz's thought. Celebrated for his invention of the differential calculus and a major figure in the development of rationalist philosophy, Leibniz is hailed by many as the last universal genius. Russell argues that the tension between Leibniz's theological writings for the Hanoverian royalty on the one hand and his philosophical work on the other obscures, in Russell's opinion, Leibniz's greatest gift to philosophy: the view that logic is the start of all philosophy.Exploring Leibniz's contributions to epistemology, substance, space and time, the soul a

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Book SynopsisâœTo abandon the struggle for private happiness, to expel all eagerness of temporary desire, to burn with passion for eternal things â this is emancipation, and this is the free man's worship.â âBertrand RussellMysticism and Logic is one of Russell's most celebrated collection of essays. They not only set the tone for analytical philosophy in the English-speaking world but are Russell's first proper foray into the role of public philosopher, one he would occupy for years to come. Both scientific and romantic, Russell explores and unpacks, in his inimitable pellucid prose, some of the thorniest problems and puzzles in philosophy. These include different ways of knowing something, the foundations of mathematics, the ultimate nature of matter and whether, in Russell's view, we should seek a philosophical theory of causation.Taken together, they show the considerable changes that occurred in Russell's thinking during the years he was

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Book SynopsisBertrand Russell's writings on logic, metaphysics, philosophy of language and epistemology are among the most influential of the twentieth century. Logic and Knowledge presents Russell's very best and most important work on these topics in a single volume, which by placing philosophical logic at its core was of monumental importance in shaping the path of analytical philosophy. It includes classics such as 'On Denoting', one of the founding pieces of philosophy of the twentieth century as well as chapters on logical atomism, a term coined by Russell himself to describe his view that the world consists in a plurality of independent entities, which by coming together form facts.Along with other essays on fundamental philosophical problems including the logic of relations, universals and particulars, and propositions, Logic and Knowledge shows why Russell remains one of the most important philosophers of the last century.This Routledge Classics editio

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Book SynopsisIn An Inquiry Into Meaning and Truth, Bertrand Russell returns to philosophy after a long period of writing about education, religion and marriage. Investigating how we can be justified in what we know and how we can reconcile knowledge of the physical world with immediate sensory knowledge, Russell sets out to reconcile the various aspects of his thought since his early logicist periodâhe view that mathematical truths are ultimately logical truths.Russell's goal is to stress-test empiricism in light of contemporary developments in logic and language or, as Russell himself succinctly puts it, to combine a general outlook akin to Hume's with the methods that have grown out of modern logic. His quest combines three strands: metaphysical, epistemological and linguistic. Both a fascinating insight into Russellâs evolving views and the continuity of his thinking over the years, it also foreshadows many future debates which came to occupy centre stage within English-speaking

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Book SynopsisThis book provides the original text of A Critical Exposition of the Philosophy of Leibniz, which was first published in 1900. The text includes an appendix containing extracts from Leibniz, classified according to subject. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Leibniz and the early philosophy of Russell.Table of Contents1. Leibniz's premisses; 2. Necessary propositions and the law of contradiction; 3. Contingent propositions and the law of sufficient reason; 4. The conception of substance; 5. The identity of indiscernibles and the law of continuity. Possibility and compossibility; 6. Why did Leibniz believe in an external world?; 7. The philosophy of matter: (a) as the outcome of the principles of dynamics; 8. The philosophy of matter (continued), (b) as explaining continuity and extension; 9. The labyrinth of the continuum; 10. The theory of space and time and its relation to monadism; 11. The nature of monads in general; 12. Soul and body; 13. Confused and unconscious perception; 14. Leibniz's theory of knowledge; 15. Proofs of the existence of God; 16. Leibniz's ethics; Appendix.

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Book SynopsisMany of the revolutionary effects of science and technology are obvious enough. Bertrand Russell saw in the 1950s that there are also many negative aspects of scientific innovation. Insightful and controversial in equal measure, Russell argues that science offers the world greater well-being than it has ever known, on the condition that prosperity is dispersed; power is diffused by means of a single, world government; birth rates do not become too high; and war is abolished. Russell acknowledges that is a tall order, but remains essentially optimistic. He imagines mankind in a ''race between human skill as to means and human folly as to ends'', but believes human society will ultimately choose the path of reason.This Routledge Classics edition includes a new Preface by Tim Sluckin.Trade Review‘A joy to read' – The Daily Telegraph'A most beautifully written study which shows Russell at the height of his powers.' – Liverpool Daily PostTable of ContentsForeword to the Routledge Classics edition. 1. Science and Tradition 2. General Effects of Scientific Technique 3. Scientific Technique in Oligarchy 4. Democracy and Scientific Technique 5. Science and War 6. Science and Values 7. Can a Scientific Society be Stable? Index

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Book Synopsis`E: Erroneous: Capable of being proved true'; `J: Jolly: The downfall of our enemies'; `M: Mystery: What I understand and you don't' . . . Enter the delightful, satirical world of the Good Citizen, according to one of the best-known writers and philosophers of modern times. In this pocket-sized book, Bertrand Russell's witty, subversive A-Z encompasses pedants and nincompoops, knowledge and virtue, providing a diverting and entertaining guide to the English alphabet. Brought back into print for the first time since the 1970s, the brief texts are illustrated with the lively drawings of Franciszka Themerson, a leading figure of the twentieth century avant-garde, whose apt and amusing images add an anarchic spirit to this delightful gift book - perfect for linguistic novices and eloquent eggheads alike. Facsimile pages reproduce the vintage look and feel of the original 1953 publication.

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Book SynopsisBertrand Russell's "On Education" advocates for liberating children from blind obedience to authority through knowledge and love, believing it can transform society. Published in 1926, its ideas remain relevant and impactful today.

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