Bertrand Russell
1872-1970 · Philosophy of Language · Household name
Russell was a British logician who set out to derive all of mathematics from pure logic, and Principia Mathematica came of the attempt. He worked out how a sentence about the present King of France can mean something when no such person exists, and that move set the pattern for philosophy in English. He went to prison for opposing the First World War, and his public writing made him famous.
Signature
The position Russell is most identified with in the Profiler:
- Universals
- strongly leans Realism
- Knowledge
- Naturalism / Pure Reason / Receptive Intellect
Positions on the 13 axes the sources answer
- Natural Processes
- leans Mechanistic (17 on a 0–100 scale from Mechanistic to Purposeful)
- Society
- leans Individualism (75 on a 0–100 scale from Collectivism to Individualism)
- Universals
- strongly leans Realism (4 on a 0–100 scale from Realism to Nominalism)
- Identity
- leans Changing (75 on a 0–100 scale from Unchanging to Changing)
- Meaning
- strongly leans Constructed (8 on a 0–100 scale from Constructed to Inherent)
- Order
- mildly between Vertical and Horizontal (60 on a 0–100 scale from Vertical to Horizontal)
- Nature of Reality
- strongly leans Multiplicity (92 on a 0–100 scale from Unity to Multiplicity)
- Ground of Being
- leans Immanence (21 on a 0–100 scale from Immanence to Transcendence)
- Truth
- strongly leans Objective (96 on a 0–100 scale from Subjective to Objective)
- Polity
- mildly leans Liberalism (69 on a 0–100 scale from Illiberalism to Liberalism)
- War
- mildly leans Pacifism (35 on a 0–100 scale from Pacifism to Militarism)
- Conviction
- strongly leans Uncertain (4 on a 0–100 scale from Uncertain to Certain)
- Allegiance
- leans Global (81 on a 0–100 scale from Local to Global)
7 of 20 axes are left blank: the sources do not answer them, or Russell refused the framing. Nothing is imputed; a blank is not a middling score.
Foundational questions
- Theology
- Atheism
What is your position on the existence and nature of God or gods? - Government
- Representative Democracy / One World Order
What is your ideal form of government? - Highest Good
- Knowledge
What is the highest good? - Good and Evil
- Social Invention
What is the fundamental nature of good and evil? - Perception
- Indirect Realism
What do we directly perceive? - Knowledge
- Naturalism / Pure Reason / Receptive Intellect
What is the ultimate foundation of knowledge? - Ethics Basis
- Utilitarian Calculation / Social Contract
What is the ultimate basis of ethics? - Agency
- Compatibilism
What is the nature of human agency and freedom? - Time
- Block Universe
What is the fundamental shape of time? - Authority
- Rational Expertise
What is the legitimate source of authority? - Language
- Representation
What is the fundamental nature of language? - Law
- Social Contract
What is the ultimate source of legitimate law? - Death
- Annihilation
What happens at death? - Human Nature
- Evolved Animal
What is human nature? - Primary Bond
- Humanity
What is your primary bond and loyalty?