Russell

Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) was renowned as one of the founding figures of ¿analytic¿ philosophy and his lasting contributions to the study of logic, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics and epistemology. He was also famous for his popular works, where his humanism, ethics and antipathy towards religion came through in books such as The Problems of Philosophy , Why I am Not A Christian , and The Conquest of Happiness . Beginning with an overview of Russell¿s life and work, Gregory Landini carefully explains Russell's philosophy, to show why he ranks as one of the giants of British and Twentieth century philosophy. He discusses Russell¿s major early works in philosophy of mathematics, including The Principles of Mathematics , wherein Russell illuminated and developed the ideas of Gottlob Frege; and the monumental three volume work written with Alfred North Whitehead, Principia Mathematica , where the authors attempted to show that all mathematical theory could be reduced to a collection of ¿pure¿ logical axioms. Landini returns to the Principia Mathematica , to show how Russell¿s approach to Wittgensteinian ideas developed in the second edition of the work. He discusses Russell¿s changing approach to logic before concluding with a discussion on Russell¿s ethics, and the relationship between science and religion. Featuring a chronology and a glossary of terms, as well as suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter, Russell is essential reading for anyone studying philosophy, and is an ideal guidebook for those coming to Russell for the first time.