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Bertrand Russell is born
Russell was born on the 18th of May, 1872 in Monmouthshire. HIs parents were Aristrocrats with liberal ideologies (2). His godfather was John Stuart Mill whose work was influential to him (1). -
Deaths in the family
By 1876 Russell had lost his mother, sister, and father. Leaving he and his one surviving sibling in his Grandma's care (2). -
Geometry
Russell was absorbed in mathematics at an early age and found learning Euclidian geometry at the age of 11 "as dazzling as first love" (2). -
Trinity College
In 1890, Russell entered trinity College. -
First Philosophical Book Published
An Essay on the Foundations of Geometry (3). -
"The Principles of Mathematics"
Russell argued that mathematics is not subjective or subject to doubt. Mathematics and logic are one in the same (4). Russell acknowledged "The Foundations of Arithmetic" by Gottlob Frege 1884, as being the earlier discover of "many things.. which I believed I had invented" (2). -
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"Principia Mathmatica"
"Written as a defense of logicism (the thesis that mathematics is in some significant sense reducible to logic), the book was instrumental in developing and popularizing modern mathematical logic. It also served as a major impetus for research in the foundations of mathematics throughout the twentieth century. Along with Aristotle’s Organon and Gottlob Frege’s Grundgesetze der Arithmetik, it remains one of the most influential books on logic ever written." (5) Written between 1910 and 1913. -
"Problems of Philosophy"
Russell stated that his mind never fully recovered from the writing of "Principia Mathematica" and thus ventured away from writing about logic with intensity (2). In 1912, he wrote "Philosophy, though unable to tell us with certainty what is the true answer to the doubts which it raises, is able to suggest many possibilities" "diminishing our feeling of certainty as to what things are, it greatly increases our knowledge as to what the may be" -
Nobel Prize
"in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought." (7) -
"The Ten Commandments" according to Russell
"1- Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
2- Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
3- Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
4- When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
5- Have no respect for the authority of others" (6) -
1969 "The Ten Commandments"--continued...
"6- Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
7- Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
8- Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
9- Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it." (6) -
Death
Russell died at the age of 97. Only five years earlier he wrote “I have been accused of a habit of changing my opinions. I am not myself in any degree ashamed of having changed my opinions. What physicist who was already active in 1900 would dream of boasting that his opinions had not changed during the last half century? In science men change their opinions when new knowledge becomes available.” (8) Russell stood for many things in his life--the pursuit of knowledge and truth being central.