Bertrand Russell
(1872-1970)

Russell was the Nobel prize for Literature in 1950. He claimed that a society could not be regarded as "fully scientific" unless "it has been created deliberately with a certain structure to fulfill certain purposes." However, Russell also said: "The philosophy of nature is one thing, the philosophy of value is quite another. Nothing but harm can come of confusing them. What we think good, what we should like, has no bearing whatever upon what is, which is the question for the philosophy of nature. ... It would be ridiculous to warp the philosophy of nature in order to bring out results that are pleasing to the tiny parasites of this insignificant planet." (What I believe.)

In my library I have a number of books written by Russell which can only be considered representative of his numerous works written over a long writing career: The Problems of Philosophy, 1912, (Oxford University Press, 1973); Icarus, or The Future of Science (His Fears) (London: Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1924); What I believe, 1925, (His Hopes) (New York: Dutton, 1933); On Education, 1926, (London: Allen & Unwin, 1976); The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, (New York: Liveright, 1971); A History of Western Philosophy, 1946, (A list of Russell's works by year is at the front of this book) (London: Allen & Unwin, 1988); Dictionary of Mind, Matter & Morals, Ed. and with intro. by Lester E. Denonn (New York: Citadel Press, 1993); In Praise of Idleness (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1972); and Russell's America, Feinberg & Kasrils, Vol.1; (London: Allen & Unwin, 1979).