Bertrand Russell A Political Life

by Ryan, Alan

• ISBN13: 9780195086348
• ISBN10: 0195086341
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-09-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Bertrand Russell was one of the greatest logicians since Aristotle, and one of the most important philosophers of the past two hundred years. In this thorough examination, Alan Ryan tells the story of Russell's "other life" as social critic, polemical journalist, antiwar activist, sage and gadfly, dissenting from Russell's insistence that there was no connection between his philosophical interests and his political allegiances. Taking readers on an entertaining journey through a career that included two spells in jail, Ryan discusses Russell's most visible campaigns--against traditional religion, against the First World War, against nuclear weapons, and against the Vietnam War, as well as his lifelong defence of liberalism in education, politics, and relations between the sexes. Throughout he emphasizes the high spirits, the aristocratic fearlessness, and the wonderful combination of wit and intelligence that Russell brought to his political writing and actions. The result is a stimulating reconsideration of one of the great intellectual radicals of our time, a remarkable man who refused to grow old, calm down, and become respectable.

Author Biography

About the Author
Alan Ryan is Professor of Politics at Princeton University. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including Social Explanation, Justice, and Essays on Thomas Hobbes, all published by Oxford.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
A Liberal Upbringing	p. 1
Religion, Ethics, and Liberal Politics	p. 21
At War with War	p. 55
An Ambivalent Socialist	p. 81
Education for Utopia	p. 103
Peace, Power and Democracy	p. 124
The New Voltaire?	p. 156
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age	p. 172
Notes	p. 207
A Note on Sources and References	p. 218
Index	p. 223
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