A twentieth century man of letters, regarded as one of the founders of analytic philosophy and a leading logician.
Geraint Morgans wrote this tribute:
I admire Bertrand Russell because of his vast intellect, moral courage, and
concern that life should be worth living and should be free of fear.
He was born in 1872 near Trelleck in Monmouthshire. Both his parents died when he was very young and he was raised by his grandparents - his grandfather, Lord John Russell had been Prime Minister.
Whilst he was
still a young boy he became aware that many of Euclid's proofs were based on
unproven axioms. This upset him somewhat and he determined to try and put
mathematics on a surer footing.
After Cambridge University and marriage to
Alys Pearsall Smith, being of independent means he set out with his former tutor AN Whitehead to write a book deducing the whole of mathematics
from a few simple propositions.
The book Principia Mathematica took ten years to write and ultimately failed. Russell discovered that there were
some truths that could not be proved true. This was later proved by Godel, a German logician, in 1931.
Nevertheless the book shed much light on language,
and matmematics in general. For one thing it helped to pave the way for
modern computers.
After the book was completed (about 1910) Russell felt he could do no more of that type of work (if you read the book you will marvel that anyone could keep at it for 10 years) and turned to other philosophical
and social questions.
He wrote many books, which are noted for their crystal clear style and sensible approach. Many such as Why I am not a Christian
and Marriage and Morals particularly upset the church.
During the first
world war he was imprisoned for writing a pamphet against conscription. Later, after the war, he travelled to China (where he nearly died from
pneumonia) and Russia, with his 2nd wife Dora Black.
Back home, he stood
for parliament but failed to get elected. He then founded a
school with Dora that was rather progressive and had a somewhat liberal attitude to discipline.
His part in that venture ended when he left Dora,
and married Patricia (Peter) Spence. This marriage also eventually ended in
divorce.
He was in America with his 3 children for most of the 2nd world
war, where he suffered a good deal of financial hardship mostly due to being
involved in a ridiculous court case, and its consequences.
After the war he
continued his prolific writing. In the years 1949 and 1950 he received both
the Order of Merit and the Nobel prize for literature, these the most
notable of many awards.
He became involved in campaigning for peace and
nuclear disarmament and when he was over 90 suffered a second term of
imprisonment for civil disobedience.
Russell died in 1970 at Penrhyndeudraeth in north west Wales aged 97 having
been a thorn in the flesh of the stupid and wicked for most of his life.
His
ashes are scattered in the Welsh hills.
Writer, mathematician, and philosopher.
