Problems of Philosophy

Bertrand Russell

Get this SparkNote to go!

Key Facts

full title  ·  The Problems of Philosophy

author  ·  Bertrand Russell

lifetime of the author  ·  1872–1970

nationality of the author  ·  Born and died in Wales, United Kingdom

philosophical movement  ·  Russell's work was an early cornerstone of analytic philosophy, which popularized an explicit "analysis" of philosophical problems.

philosophical genre  ·  An introduction to problems of metaphysics and epistemology, which also posits its own positive philosophic program.

language  ·  English

time and place written  ·  Written in 1910–1912, while Russell was a Fellow at Trinity College.

date of first publication  ·  1912

first publisher  ·  Home University Library

speaker in  ·  First person point of view

other philosophers referenced and discussed in this work  ·  Rene Descartes, Bishop Berkeley, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Hegel

essential metaphysical distinction  ·  This book builds on Russell's innovative idea of sense-data as the primary fact of experience, from which we logically construct other ideas about knowledge.

school of philosophy originated  ·  Analytic philosophy originated with Russell

russell's primary philosophical interests  ·  Logic, mathematics, and epistemology

intellectual tradition in which russell was trained, against which he later revolted  ·  British idealism

logical theory that allowed russell to moderate his realist views  ·  Theory of Descriptions

prestigious award that russell earned for his groundbreaking work on logic  ·  The Nobel Prize for Literature, for his work Principia Mathematica

institution where russell studied and lectured  ·  Trinity College, Cambridge University

philosophical method after which russell patterns his own method of enquiry  ·  Descartes' radical doubt

Readers' Notes allow users to add their own analysis and insights to our SparkNotes—and to discuss those ideas with one another. Have a novel take or think we left something out? Add a Readers' Note!

More Help

Buy the ebook of this SparkNote on BN.com

Easy to view on your iPod, phone, or ereader.

EVEN MORE HELP! ↓

Take a Study Break

SparkLife

The adorable Emma Watson!

Check out her 20 best red carpet looks here!

SparkLife

100 types of CRUSHES

Which have you crushed on?

SparkLife

Hot, fresh, celebrity tweets!

What are your favorite celebs saying? Click to find out!

SparkLife

Hate Bieber?

Read THIS.

Geek out!

The MindHut

We Rank the Doctors

Did we get it right?

The MindHut

Monsters of the Ocean

You'll never swim again.

The MindHut

Toop 10 Underrated Geniuses

They got no love!

The MindHut

Fantasy Book Covers...

...Recreated by THIS guy!

The MindHut

14 Animals That Changed the World

Proving history is totes adorbs.

The Book

Cover image

Order The Problems of Philosophy at BN.com

All the words, printed on paper. Classic!

Cover image

Read What You Love, Anywhere You Like

Get Our FREE NOOK Reading Apps