Russell: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) [Paperback]

A. C. Grayling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2002 | Series: Very Short Introductions (Book 59)

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) is one of the most famous and important philosophers of the twentieth century. In this account of his life and work A. C. Grayling introduces both his technical contributions to logic and philosophy, and his wide-ranging views on education, politics, war, and sexual morality. Russell is credited with being one of the prime movers of Analytic Philosophy, and with having played a part in the revolution in social attitudes witnessed throughout the twentieth-century world. This introduction gives a clear survey of Russell's achievements across their whole range.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A. C. Grayling is Reader in Philosophy, Birkbeck College, University of London, and a Supernumerary Fellow, St Anne's College, Oxford. He is author of Wittgenstein in the Very Short Introductions series, as well as An Introduction to Philosophical Logic, The Refutation of Scepticism, and Berkeley: The Central Arguments. He is the editor of Philosophy: A Guide through the Subject and Philosophy 2: Further Through the Subject.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192802585
• ISBN-13: 978-0192802583
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #655,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An elegant and marvellously readable account, October 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Russell (Past Masters) (Paperback)

Bertrand Russell thought and wrote about many things from highly technical logic to popular questions of politics and education. In the lucid, elegant and beautifully accurate prose for which he is well known (see his other books and his writings for the Financial Times Book Review, Prospect magazine, and elsewhere), the British philosopher A. C. Grayling gives a concise survey of Russell's entire range of thought. In the biographical first chapter Russell's life and works are summarised; in the next two chapters his achievements in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, and general philosophy are described with succinctness and clarity; and in the final chapters his popular and political thought is explained, ending with an assessment of his achievement as one of the century's greatest thinkers. Because Russell is a founding figure in analytic philosophy, an understanding of his work provides an introduction to contemporary debates in philosophy also, so this little book is not only a highly pleasurable "good read", but an education in the basics of philosophy.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good survey of Russel's Work, June 7, 2003

By 

A. Mathew (Newark, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Russell (Past Masters) (Paperback)

Grayling has achieved a good survey of Russel's Work in the realm of logic and philosophy as well as his contributions to social, moral, political and educational debates. The selling point for me is the fact that he does it with so much brevity and crispness. Without going into the gory details of his philosophical and logical ideas, Grayling still strikes a good balance and makes for some intersting reading.

Highly recommended for people who'd like a quick introduction to Russel.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the most important philosopher of the 20th century, June 9, 2009

By 

Massimo Pigliucci (New York City) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Russell: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Kindle Edition)

Russell was a huge influence on me when I was in high school, and is chiefly responsible for my career choice of eventually becoming a professional philosopher. So I can hardly be expected to be detached in commenting on a book attempting to cover Russell's life and philosophy. Still, Grayling pulls it off very nicely, giving the reader a good sense of the long and complex life of Bertrand Russell, his contributions to logic and mathematics, and his writings on social and moral issues (he was very politically active, and got arrested twice for anti-war activities). The last chapter is also -- I think -- a well balanced appraisal of Russell's overall contribution to modern philosophy, both directly and through the people he influenced (beginning of course with Wittgenstein, who was Russell's student). A must read if you are interested in philosophy and don't want to tackle technical commentaries on BR.