Bertrand Russell

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Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS (/ˈrʌsəl/; 18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic and political activist.

Life

At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these in any profound sense.

He was born in Monmouthshire into one of the most prominent aristocratic families in Britain.

In the early 20th century, Russell led the British "revolt against idealism".

He is considered one of the founders of analytic philosophy along with his predecessor Gottlob Frege, colleague G. E. Moore, and his protégé Ludwig Wittgenstein.

He is widely held to be one of the 20th century's premier logicians.

With A. N. Whitehead he wrote Principia Mathematica, an attempt to create a logical basis for mathematics.

His philosophical essay "On Denoting" has been considered a "paradigm of philosophy".

His work has had a considerable influence on:

Russell was a prominent anti-war activist; he championed anti-imperialism and went to prison for his pacifism during World War I.

Later, he campaigned against Adolf Hitler, then criticised Stalinist totalitarianism, attacked the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War, and was an outspoken proponent of nuclear disarmament.

Nobel Prize in Literature

In 1950 Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought".

On envy

Russell said that envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness. Not only is the envious person rendered unhappy by his or her envy, but that person also wishes to inflict misfortune on others.

See also

External links

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