The Problems of Philosophy

Bertrand Russell was one of the greatest logicians since Aristotle, and one of the most important philosophers of the past two hundred years. “The Problems of Philosophy, ” one of the most popular works in Russell’s prolific collection of writings, has become core reading in philosophy. Clear and accessible, this little book is an intelligible and stimulating guide to those problems of philosophy which often mistakenly make the subject seem too lofty and abstruse for the lay mind. Focusing on problems he believes will provoke positive and constructive discussion, Russell steers the reader through his famous 1910 distinction betwween “knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description, ” and introduces important theories of Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Hume, Locke, Plato and others to lay the foundation for philosophical inquiry by general readers and scholars alike.