It is always amazing to see how the biographies of great men determine much of what would become their world-views and, in the case of philosophers, their life’s work. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) is no exception.

Bertrand Russell was born into a family as aristocratic as they come. His godfather was one of the founders of utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill. The Russells have been involved in the highest ranks of British society for centuries before Bertrand was born. His grandfather had been a prime minister. At the end of his first marriage, he had an affair with Lady Ottoline Morrell, famous social figure in early 20th-century Britain, and perhaps also with the first wife of poet T. S. Eliot. Despite his aristocratic roots, Russell had a keen sense for social justice and he was an activist for peace. Refusing to participate in the first World War, he was sent to prison for six months. He wrote about the experience:

From quotes like this one can immediately see Bertrand Russell’s attitude towards life: distanced, cool, haughty even. But also, at the same time, sympathetic towards those who did not have his own privilege. And also another thing: whenever something went wrong in his life, Russell turned to mathematics as a way to escape.

This began early: his mother died when he was two years old; his father when he was four. His grandfather two years later again, so that Russell had to be raised by his paternal grandmother. He wasn’t happy living alone with her and he often contemplated suicide as a boy. In his books, he states that it was only his fascination for mathematics that kept him alive. When he was eleven years old, his brother introduced him to the work of Euclid. Russell wrote later that this was for him like falling in love for the first time.

So here we have the main strokes that form the picture of Bertrand Russell’s …

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