Few philosophers have engaged with the world in as many ways as Bertrand Russell. His academic work transformed philosophy at the beginning of the twentieth century and he followed that by six decades of intense political activism which led him into constant opposition to established authority almost everywhere. Jailed twice, married four times, fired by more universities than I’ve worked at, his personal life was as turbulent as the century he confronted.
Nicholas Griffin is Canada Research Chair in Philosophy and Director of the Bertrand Russell Research Centre at McMaster University. He has written extensively on Russell and is General Editor of The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell.