The Problems of Philosophy

Commemorating the 125th anniversary of the Nobel laureate's birth. 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 between "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. With a new introduction by John Perry that places Russell's writing in its historical and philosophical milieu, this valuable work is a perfect introduction to the field and will continue to stimulate philosophical discussion as it has done for nearly forty years.