Defining Russell

Abstract

February 19, 2011 (11:48 am) E:\CPBR\RUSSJOUR\TYPE3002\russell 30,2 040 red.wpd Reviews 173 DEFINING RUSSELL Dustin Z. Olson Philosophy / McMaster U. Hamilton, on, Canada l8s 2c8 olsondz@mcmaster.ca Rosalind Carey and John Ongley. Historical Dictionary of Bertrand Russell’s Philosophy . (HistoricalDictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements, no. 93.) Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2009. Pp. xlvii, 287. us$85.00 (hb). In pb as The A to Z of Bertrand Russell’s Philosophy. (The A to Z Guide series.) us$29.95. Bertrand Russell scholars know that to call Russell proliWc is an understatement . Indeed, it is almost surreal to consider the production of this one individual . Russell published over 70 books, wrote enough papers to Wll 35 volumes in the Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell, and the Russell Archives house over 30,000 of his letters. He had a lot to say. Recognizing the vast number of topics Russell addresses throughout his illustrious philosophical career, one can only begin to imagine the daunting task of providing a deWnitive summary of all the major points Russell contributes to the discipline, in addition to the signiWcant events, people, and publications surrounding his work. This job is undertaken by Rosalind Carey and John Ongley in the 93rd installment of Scarecrow Press’s Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements series: Historical Dictionary of Bertrand Russell’s February 19, 2011 (11:48 am) E:\CPBR\RUSSJOUR\TYPE3002\russell 30,2 040 red.wpd 174 Reviews 1 Hereafter the Dictionary. Philosophy.1 These authors are charged with the overwhelming commission of providing an exhaustive summary of the philosophically interesting aspects of Russell’s life and works. There are a number of reasons why this project would be diUcult, of which three stand out: Wrst, the aforementioned amount of work that Russell produced is immense; secondly, Russell’s philosophy underwent numerous alterations and amendments throughout his life; and thirdly, knowing where, for Russell, his philosophy ended and his extra-philosophical works began is not exactly clear. Russell, it seems, is much like the Apostle Paul—everything for everyone. Russell was a polymath: philosopher, mathematician, logician, polemicist, socialtheorist , public intellectual, historian, and ethicist are all titles he could rightly be attributed. It is diUcult, therefore, amongst all of these diTerent intellectual endeavours, to demarcate what is rightfully philosophical in Russell’s work, and what is not. The diUculty for our current considerations lies in determining which entries should and which should not be included in a dictionary dedicated to one person’s eclectic philosophy. The Dictionary begins with a chronology of Russell’s life. It is a joy to read these entries as they reveal the number of hats that Russell wore, how proliWc he was, and some interesting biographical glimpses into his life. Consider a few examples: 1905 In June, Russell reads “The Nature of Truth” to the Jowett Society. In July, he publishes “The Existential Import of Propositions”. In October, he publishes his most famous essay, “On Denoting”,followedinNovemberby “On the Relation of Mathematics to Symbolic Logic”. By this time, he has drafted “On Some DiUculties in the Theory of TransWnite Numbers and Order Types” and is experimenting with a method of preventing paradoxes that does not involve type-distinctions, inspired by the techniques described in “On Denoting”. (P. xix) 1914 Between March and May, Russell teaches two classes at Harvard University, one on logic, the other on epistemology. He also gives the Lowell lectures there, which are published in August as Our Knowledge of the External World. World War i begins. Russell throws himself into antiwar, paciWst work. In November, he delivers “On ScientiWc Method in Philosophy” as the Herbert Spencer lecture at Oxford University. (Pp. xx–xxi) 1927 In April, the pamphlet Why I Am Not a Christian is published, followed by The Analysis of Matter in July and An Outline of Philosophy in November. After Analysis of Matter,Russell does not publish another book ofacademic philosophy until 1940. Russell and Dora open the Beacon Hill School in September. Throughout October and November , Russell lectures in New York to raise money for the school. (P. xxiii) February 19, 2011 (11:48 am) E:\CPBR\RUSSJOUR...