Few philosophers have had a more profound influence on the course of modern philosophy than Bertrand Russell. The Basic Writings of Bertrand Russell is a comprehensive anthology of Russell’s most definitive essays written between 1903 and 1959. First published in 1961, this remarkable collection is a testament to a philosopher whom many consider to be one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. This is an essential introduction to the brilliance of Bertrand Russell.

CONTENTS:

Preface by Bertrand Russell; Introduction by the Editors; Epigrammatic Insights from the Pen of Russell; Chronological List of Russell’s Principle Works; Chronology of the Life of Bertrand Russell; Acknowledgements; Some Thoughts About Bertrand Russell; PART 1: Autobiographical Asides  1. My Religious Reminiscences  2. My Mental Development  3. Adaptation: An Autobiographical  4. Why I Took to Philosophy PART 2: The Nobel Prize Winning Man of Letters (Essayist and Short Story Writer)  5. How I Write  6. A Free Man's Worship  7. An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish: Hilarious Catalogue of Organized and Individual Stupidity  8. The Metaphysician's Nightmare PART 3: The Philosopher of Language  9. Language  10. Sentences, Syntax, and Parts of Speech  11. The Uses of Language  12. The Cult of 'Common Usage’ PART 4: The Logician and Philosopher of Mathematics  13. Symbolic Logic  14. On Induction  15. Preface to Principia Mathematica  16. Introduction to Principia Mathematica.  17. Summary of Part III, Principia Mathematica  18. Summary of Part IV, Principia Mathematica  19. Summary of Part V, Principia Mathematica  20. Summary of Part VI Principia Mathematica  21. Introduction to the Second Edition, Principia Mathematica  22. Mathematics and Logic  23. The Validity of Inference  24. Dewey’s New Logic  25. John Dewey PART 5: The Epistemologist  26. Knowledge by Acquaintance and Knowledge by Description  27. Theory of Knowledge  28. Epistemological Premisses PART 6: The Metaphysician  29 Materialism, Past and Present  30.Language and Metaphysics  31. The Retreat from Pythagoras PART 7: History of Philosophy  32. Philosophy in the Twentieth Century  33. Aristotle's Logic  34. St Thomas Aquinas  35. Currents of Thought in the Nineteenth Century  36. The Philosophy of Logical Analysis PART 8: The Psychologist  37. Psychological and Physical Causal Laws  38. Truth and Falsehood  39. Knowledge Behaviouristically Considered PART 9: The Moral Philosopher  40. Styles in Ethics  41. The Place of Sex Among Human Values Individual and Social Ethics  42. Individual and Social Ethics  43. 'What I Believe'  44. The Expanding Mental Universe PART 10: The Philosopher of Education  45. Education  46 The Aims of Education  47 Emotion and Discipline  48 The Functions of a Teacher PART 11: The Philosopher of Politics  49 The Reconciliation of Individuality and Citizenship  50 Philosophy and Politics  51 Politically Important Desires  52. Why I am not a Communist PART 12: The Philosopher in the Field of Economics  53. Property  54. Dialectical Materialism  55. The Theory of Surplus Value PART 13: The Philosopher of History  56. On History  57. The Materialistic Theory of History  58 History as an Art PART 14: The Philosopher of Culture: East and West  59. Chinese and Western Civilization Contrasted  60. Eastern and Western Ideals of Happiness PART 15: The Philosopher of Religion  61. The Essence of Religion  62. What is an Agnostic?  63. Why I am not a Christian  64. Religion Cure our Troubles? PART 16: A Philosopher and Expositor of Science  65. Physics and Neutral Monism  66. Science and Education  67. Limitations of Scientific Method  68. The New Physics and Relativity  69. Science and Values  70. Non-Demonstrative Inference PART 17: The Analyst of International Affairs  71. The Taming of Power  72. If We are to Survive this Dark Time-  73. What Would Help Mankind Most?  74. Current Perplexities  75. World Government  76. The Next Half-Century  77. Life Without Fear  78. Science and Human Life  79. Open Letter to Eisenhower and Khrushchev  80. Man’s Peril  81. Methods of Settling Disputes in the Nuclear Age

AUTHOR:

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) was one of the most formidable thinkers of the modern era. A philosopher, mathematician, educational innovator, champion of intellectual, social and sexual freedom, and a campaigner for peace and human rights, he was also a prolific writer of popular and influential books, essays and lectures on an extensive range of subjects.

Considered to be one of the most controversial figures of the twentieth century, Bertrand Russell is widely renowned for his provocative writings. These definitive works offer profound insights and forward-thinking perspectives on a changing western society progressively shaped, most significantly, by two world wars, the decline of British imperialism and an evolving moral landscape.