Mysticism and Logic: Restored Classics to Go Edition

· Otbebookpublishing
Ebook
288
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays brings together Bertrand Russell's searching reflections on the conflict—and uneasy alliance—between mystical vision and scientific reason. In his preface, Russell explains how the essays arose and notes the evolution of his own views, especially on ethics and the place of belief in confronting life's difficulties. The collection ranges from accessible meditations on education, worship, mathematics, and mysticism to more exacting philosophical inquiries into causation, sense-data, matter, and knowledge, revealing the full breadth of his intellect. At the center is Russell's argument that philosophy is driven by two impulses: the mystical longing to see the universe as a unified whole and the scientific need to observe, analyze, and explain. He explores this tension through figures such as Heraclitus, Plato, and Parmenides, including Plato's cave allegory and the mystical tradition's faith in hidden reality, sudden insight, and the unreality of time. Yet Russell remains wary of any system that lets the good determine what must be true. He also rejects intuition as a superior guide to truth, insisting that reason must test instinct, correct bias, and keep philosophy faithful to fact. Even so, he acknowledges mysticism's power to inspire peace, reverence, and inward wisdom. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays brings together Bertrand Russell's searching reflections on the conflict—and uneasy alliance—between mystical vision and scientific reason. In his preface, Russell explains how the essays arose and notes the evolution of his own views, especially on ethics and...

About the author

Bertrand Russell was one of the most influential public intellectuals of the twentieth century, a philosopher, logician, essayist, and tireless social critic whose long life stretched from the Victorian era into the nuclear age. Born into British aristocracy in 1872, he was educated at Cambridge and went on to help transform modern philosophy and logic with his rigorous, analytical approach to truth, language, and knowledge. Beyond academia, he became widely known for his fearless engagement with the moral crises of his time, speaking out against war, authoritarianism, censorship, and dogma, and often paying a personal price for his convictions. His essays and philosophical writings combine intellectual precision with a deep concern for human freedom, reason, and the limits of certainty, making them as thought-provoking now as when they first appeared. Russell's work explores themes that remain urgently relevant today: how to think clearly in an age of confusion, how to balance reason with human feeling, and how to build a more humane society without surrendering critical thought. His legacy endures not only in philosophy and logic but also in the broader tradition of public intellectual life, where he stands as a model of courage, clarity, and moral independence. Readers who enjoy sharp ideas, elegant prose, and big questions about truth, ethics, and the modern world will find him especially rewarding.

Bertrand Russell was one of the most influential public intellectuals of the twentieth century, a philosopher, logician, essayist, and tireless social critic whose long life stretched from the Victorian era into the nuclear age. Born into British aristocracy in 1872, he was educated at Cambridge ...

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