Bertrand Russell in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) [Paperback]

Bernard Sternsher (Author)

Book Description

Series: Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series | Publication Date: April 17, 2001

"Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character....I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one’s friends to Western civilization."—Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe.
"Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them....I find them hard to stop reading."—Richard Bernstein, New York Times.
"Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise."—Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal.
These brief and enlightening explorations of our greatest thinkers bring their ideas to life in entertaining and accessible fashion. Philosophical thought is deciphered and made comprehensive and interesting to almost everyone. Far from being a novelty, each book is a highly refined appraisal of the philosopher and his work, authoritative and clearly presented.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Like Strathern himself, Bertrand Russell was a popularizer of philosophy, and his History of Western Phi losophy (1945) is one of the best one-volume works on it. Russell's stature as a philosopher, however, comes from his project to reduce mathematics to a logically coherent system without resting it on axioms. Alas, Kurt Godel exposed this effort as a chimera, but Russell's thought about epistemology fared better. Strathern condenses Russell's heavy thinking into a few paragraphs, leavening it with highlights of his life, such as the turmoil arising from his logician's approach to emotional and social life, which led him to contemplate suicide, conduct assignations galore, and champion liberal causes and pacifism. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them...I find them hard to stop reading. (Bernstein, Richard New York Times )

Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise. (Jim Holt Wall Street Journal )

Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character...I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization. (Katherine A. Powers Boston Globe )

A godsend in this era of the short attention span. (Daryl Royster Alexander New York Times )

Strathern presents these technical topics...in an easily understandable way. (Thomas Riggins Political Affairs.Net )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (April 17, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566633575
• ISBN-13: 978-1566633574
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,473,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 90 Minutes with Bertrand Russell, June 14, 2005

By 

Thomas Riggins (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bertrand Russell in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) (Paperback)

This short book of 92 pages is one of the entries in Strathern's 90 Minutes series. If you know absolutely nothing about Russell you could begin with this book-- but you will need more than it provides to really understand this major philosopher. The heart of this book is the 63 page essay "Russell's Life and Works." Strathern describes how Russell revolted against the prevailing neo-Hegelian idealism he found at Cambridge as a student and developed a philosophy based on logical analysis which he later called "logical atomism" because it stressed the discreteness of things rather than seeing them as all interelated parts of the neo-Hegelian "Absolute." The best part of the book is the non-technical explanation of "Russell's Paradox" and his "Theory of Types." Unfortunately, Strathern does not present Russell's mature philosophy. He gives an overview of Russell's thoufgr based on works from which he later diverged. Strathern should have consulted Russell's 1959 "My Philosopical Development" where he gives his final views on many of the topics discussed in this small book. Russell may need more than ninety minutes!