The Problems Of Philosophy

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was a British mathematician, logician, philosopher, and historian. He started his writing career in 1896. In 1910, he discovered and resolved Russell's Paradox in mathematics. He popularised philosophy by delivering many lectures and broadcasts on BBC. His published works span over 100 books on analytical philosophy, history, and mathematics. He was one of the leading opponents of World War I, Israel's aggression against the Middle East, and the United States' genocide in Vietnam. He also made a cameo appearance in an Indian anti-war feature film Aman. Because of his commitment to nonviolence, he faced many troubles: a six-month imprisonment for publicly lecturing against the United States' interference in the affairs of the United Kingdom, a fine for publishing an anti- war pamphlet, and his dismissal from Trinity College. Initially, Russell was in favour of socialism but after his visit to the Soviet Union and meeting with Vladimir Lenin, he returned unimpressed and expressed his opposition to the utilitarian and anti-aesthetic stance of Bolshevism. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950 for championing humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought. Russell had an agile mind and his insights into world problems will be remembered for centuries to come. In the prologue to his autobiography, he summed up the passions that drove him thus: 'the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.' He stayed politically active till the end of his life.