Russell, Bertrand

Philosopher, educator, writer, and political activist, Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) is best known for his work in mathematical and symbolic logic and in philosophy. His philosophy of education included strong convictions on the need to teach critical thinking skills to children. Russell was born in Wales into a politically liberal and educated family; however, his parents died when he was of preschool age. Raised by his grandmother, Russell was educated privately and attended Trinity College in Cambridge, England, where he received degrees in mathematics and the moral sciences (philosophy).

Russell wrote over 90 books and hundreds of articles during his lifetime. He wrote his first book, German Social Democracy, in 1896, and his first book on [Page 890]mathematical logic and philosophy, The Principles of Mathematics, in 1903. From 1907 to 1910, he worked tirelessly with Alfred North Whitehead, culminating with the publication of the first volume of Principia Mathematica in 1910. During this time, Russell also began to express his radical and decidedly liberal political views, and he ran unsuccessfully as a suffragist candidate for parliament in 1907 (and in 1922, 1923). In 1916, he was convicted and fined for his antiwar activities and was dismissed from his position at Trinity College. In 1918, he was convicted again and spent 6 months in prison where he wrote Political Ideals: Roads to Freedom and the widely acclaimed Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy in 1919.

Seven years later, Russell published On Education, in which he called for an education that would liberate children from unthinking obedience to parental and religious authority. With his second wife (he married four times) and former student Dora Black, he established in 1927 the experimental Beacon Hill School in West Sussex, England. The school highlighted Russell's belief that students should not be required to follow a strictly academic curriculum. He believed that students needed opportunities to develop what today are commonly referred to as critical thinking skills. He championed a belief that students needed to be trained to form opinions, find solutions to problems, and to be able to identify and question assumptions. The experimental school operated for 5 years and resulted in a 1932 book titled Education and Social Order.

After that, Russell made a living as a writer, journalist, and lecturer. He created quite a stir in 1932 with the publication of Marriage and Morals, a book espousing his views on free love. He taught at several American universities from 1938 to 1944. One appointment at City College, New York, was rescinded following public protests and a judicial decision stating that he was morally unfit to teach at the college.

Russell ceased to be a pacifist during the 1930s with the rise of Hitler in Germany. As a result, his fellowship at Cambridge was eventually restored. In 1950, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. In his later years, he was quite vocal and active in his opposition to nuclear weapons. Russell became an inspirational figure to many youth in the late 1950s and 1960s as a result of his continued antiwar and antinuclear protests. In 1961, at the age of 88, he was imprisoned for a week in connection with an antinuclear protest. Until his death at the age of 97, Russell remained a visible and vibrant public figure.

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