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Bertrand Russell and His World
Traces the life and career of the controversial British philosopher and pacifist and describes his contribution to mathematics, philosophy, and the anti-nuclear movement
128 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1975
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About the author
Ronald William Clark
59 books25 followersRonald William Clark was a British author of biography, fiction and non-fiction. He was educated King's College School. In 1933, he embarked on a career as a journalist, and served as a war correspondent during the Second World War after being turned down for military service on medical grounds. As a war correspondent, Clark landed on Juno Beach with the Canadians on D-Day. He followed the war until the end, and remained in Germany to report on the major War Crimes trials. After his return to Britain he embarked upon a career as an author.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 20, 2018
It's a little scary when you read a book, something in it sounds familiar and it turns out that you read a book about the same subject some time back. This is the second biography of Bertrand Russell that I've read and it's testimony to the small impact of the first one that I could not recall it beyond the memory jog the recounting of the school for small children that Russell founded with one of his wives produced. That's a reason to write reviews on Goodreads, folks! I went back to my review of the Russell biography by Caroline Moorhead and my memory was refreshed.
This book by Ronald Clark was written in 1976 only a few years after Russell's death. It goes into the philosophy and mathematical work Russell did in more depth than the 1993 bio from Moorhead. Her account of Russell's life concentrated on the emotional side of the man and his relationship to women almost to the exclusion of his intellectual life. Of course, we all have emotional lives, but very few have an intellectual life as deep as Russell's. For that reason I found this book preferable to the one by Moorhead; it seemed truer to the distinction of the man.
Despite his family background and ability to go to depths of rational inquiry that few can reach, Russell was an advocate for humanity against authoritarian rule. He was a prolific writer on many subjects with a wonderful dry sense of humor and a very accessible style that brought many of his works wide readership. Even those who opposed his views appreciated the careful thought behind his words. One would expect from his social position that money would never be a problem. In fact, he had to work for a living through writing and speaking.
His curiosity knew no bounds over nine decades of life that took him from the time of the Franco-Prussian war to the Vietnam War. He was intellectually alert until the end. No pacifist, he was certain that nuclear weapons would bring disaster unless disarmament came about, lending his careful thinking to a variety of peace-seeking efforts. His world travels allowed him to meet the mighty in person, his elite ancestry proof against any feeling of inferiority in relation to them.
Russell was so involved with the world in which he lived and at such a high level, that one couldn't hope for a better lens through which to view the great events and people of his time. He believed in freedom to love another than one's spouse if not done on the sly and indulged accordingly with several wives and mistresses. He believed in the power of education and never missed a chance to help along the curious of any age in any subject. He had a strong sense of what was right, loved being challenged, and could state his views clearly on the basis of solid reasoning. To top it off, with a couple of short exceptional periods, he enjoyed good health throughout. If anyone could be said to have had a life well lived, it was Bertrand Russell. This book makes that clear.
This book by Ronald Clark was written in 1976 only a few years after Russell's death. It goes into the philosophy and mathematical work Russell did in more depth than the 1993 bio from Moorhead. Her account of Russell's life concentrated on the emotional side of the man and his relationship to women almost to the exclusion of his intellectual life. Of course, we all have emotional lives, but very few have an intellectual life as deep as Russell's. For that reason I found this book preferable to the one by Moorhead; it seemed truer to the distinction of the man.
Despite his family background and ability to go to depths of rational inquiry that few can reach, Russell was an advocate for humanity against authoritarian rule. He was a prolific writer on many subjects with a wonderful dry sense of humor and a very accessible style that brought many of his works wide readership. Even those who opposed his views appreciated the careful thought behind his words. One would expect from his social position that money would never be a problem. In fact, he had to work for a living through writing and speaking.
His curiosity knew no bounds over nine decades of life that took him from the time of the Franco-Prussian war to the Vietnam War. He was intellectually alert until the end. No pacifist, he was certain that nuclear weapons would bring disaster unless disarmament came about, lending his careful thinking to a variety of peace-seeking efforts. His world travels allowed him to meet the mighty in person, his elite ancestry proof against any feeling of inferiority in relation to them.
Russell was so involved with the world in which he lived and at such a high level, that one couldn't hope for a better lens through which to view the great events and people of his time. He believed in freedom to love another than one's spouse if not done on the sly and indulged accordingly with several wives and mistresses. He believed in the power of education and never missed a chance to help along the curious of any age in any subject. He had a strong sense of what was right, loved being challenged, and could state his views clearly on the basis of solid reasoning. To top it off, with a couple of short exceptional periods, he enjoyed good health throughout. If anyone could be said to have had a life well lived, it was Bertrand Russell. This book makes that clear.
March 11, 2011
A very interesting penetrating look into the life of one of the preeminent thinkers of the 20th century.
September 7, 2014
Excellent! And Russell had a much more interesting life than I ever would have guessed. Would be a fun read for anyone.
April 23, 2013
Well researched. Often.overshadowed by the Monk book but excellent never the less.
March 16, 2008
I read the spanish language edition of this mediocre biography, which is not accesible on the goodread website.
August 5, 2024
AN EXCELLENT BIOGRAPHY OF A TOWERING 20TH CENTURY INTELLECTUAL
Ronald Clark has written some excellent biographies (e.g., 'Freud: The Man and the Cause,' 'Einstein: The Life and Times'). He states early in this 1975 book, "With an intellect which could easily have created unbridgable gulf separating him from the rest... Russell might well have lived his ninety-odd years without much understanding of ordinary men and women; as it was, he shared their physical passion to an abnormal degree." (Pg. 24)
He observes, "Religion was in fact beginning to loom up in his preoccupations, pushed there by Ottoline [Morrell]... [she] had been caught by him---as he emerged from the dark tunnel of 'Principia Mathematica'... Ottoline's religious influence, from which Russell only slowly shook himself free, began to show within a few weeks of the [1909] March meeting in Bedford Square... Under her influence, Russell began to adulterate the brave pessimism of 'The Free Man's Worship.' His position, that of a dyed-in-the-wool agnostic desperately in love with a religiously devout woman, was delicate." (Pg. 156-157)
Russell later wrote, "My views ... were very sentimental, much too mild, and much too favourable to religion. In all this I was unduly influenced by Lady Ottoline Morrell." (Pg. 182) Of Russell's 1927 'Why I Am Not a Christian' lecture, Clark notes, "It was bitterly anti-religious ... Reaction against what he now saw to have been Ottoline's ameliorating influence was one reason for this new virulence that creeps into his polemics against religion in the 1920s, and does not begin to disappear until three decades later." (Pg. 413)
Clark records Russell's devastation after Wittgenstein strongly criticized a book he was writing on the theory of knowledge; "Russell had to decide two things without delay. Were Wittgenstein's criticisms as sound as he intuitively felt them to be? And if so was he to incorporate them or ignore them?" (Pg. 205) Clark notes, "The nub of Wittgenstein's objection has not survived in the record. But Kenneth Blackwell... has made its reconstruction possible... 'Wittgenstein's objection ... was a fundamental blow. He saw that Russell had omitted the binding factor, the element that would ... make it impossible for a piece of nonsense ... to result from the formula.'" (Pg. 206)
Of the period of Russell's second marriage [to Dora Black], Clark states, "He was constantly endangered, however, by two characteristics: a genuine wish to introduce young people to the exciting world of books and science... and an insatiable appetite for personable and intelligent young women. In these circumstances he was obliged to skate over ice so thin that he was saved from public scandal more by good luck than good management." (Pg. 440)
He addresses in detail the influence over Russell of Ralph Schoenman: "Schoenman was to make two claims: that 'every major political initiative that has borne the name of Bertrand Russell since 1960 has been my work in thought and deed'; and that the theory of a Russell 'taken over by a young revolutionary... touched a partial truth.' There is a good deal of justification for the first of these claims... On Schoenman's second claim... the evidence is less conclusive." (Pg. 583-584) Clark includes an Appendix from Russell, explaining his repudiation of Schoenman: "The question ... that has been put to me is why did I not break with him earlier. I did not do so because, until the last few years he was the only person who could and would carry out the work that I thought should be done. The balance of his accomplishments over his drawbacks has only gradually been reversed... Since his methods ... have become inportunately... intolerable... and during the last year can only be termed dishonest, I have felt it necessary to make a definitive break with him." (Pg. 650)
Somewhat superseded by Ray Monk's two-volume biography, 'Bertrand Russell: 1872-1920 The Spirit of Solitude v. 1' and ;Bertrand Russell: 1921-1970, The Ghost of Madness,' this book is still vastly enlightening for anyone wanting to know more about Russell, his books, and his life.
Ronald Clark has written some excellent biographies (e.g., 'Freud: The Man and the Cause,' 'Einstein: The Life and Times'). He states early in this 1975 book, "With an intellect which could easily have created unbridgable gulf separating him from the rest... Russell might well have lived his ninety-odd years without much understanding of ordinary men and women; as it was, he shared their physical passion to an abnormal degree." (Pg. 24)
He observes, "Religion was in fact beginning to loom up in his preoccupations, pushed there by Ottoline [Morrell]... [she] had been caught by him---as he emerged from the dark tunnel of 'Principia Mathematica'... Ottoline's religious influence, from which Russell only slowly shook himself free, began to show within a few weeks of the [1909] March meeting in Bedford Square... Under her influence, Russell began to adulterate the brave pessimism of 'The Free Man's Worship.' His position, that of a dyed-in-the-wool agnostic desperately in love with a religiously devout woman, was delicate." (Pg. 156-157)
Russell later wrote, "My views ... were very sentimental, much too mild, and much too favourable to religion. In all this I was unduly influenced by Lady Ottoline Morrell." (Pg. 182) Of Russell's 1927 'Why I Am Not a Christian' lecture, Clark notes, "It was bitterly anti-religious ... Reaction against what he now saw to have been Ottoline's ameliorating influence was one reason for this new virulence that creeps into his polemics against religion in the 1920s, and does not begin to disappear until three decades later." (Pg. 413)
Clark records Russell's devastation after Wittgenstein strongly criticized a book he was writing on the theory of knowledge; "Russell had to decide two things without delay. Were Wittgenstein's criticisms as sound as he intuitively felt them to be? And if so was he to incorporate them or ignore them?" (Pg. 205) Clark notes, "The nub of Wittgenstein's objection has not survived in the record. But Kenneth Blackwell... has made its reconstruction possible... 'Wittgenstein's objection ... was a fundamental blow. He saw that Russell had omitted the binding factor, the element that would ... make it impossible for a piece of nonsense ... to result from the formula.'" (Pg. 206)
Of the period of Russell's second marriage [to Dora Black], Clark states, "He was constantly endangered, however, by two characteristics: a genuine wish to introduce young people to the exciting world of books and science... and an insatiable appetite for personable and intelligent young women. In these circumstances he was obliged to skate over ice so thin that he was saved from public scandal more by good luck than good management." (Pg. 440)
He addresses in detail the influence over Russell of Ralph Schoenman: "Schoenman was to make two claims: that 'every major political initiative that has borne the name of Bertrand Russell since 1960 has been my work in thought and deed'; and that the theory of a Russell 'taken over by a young revolutionary... touched a partial truth.' There is a good deal of justification for the first of these claims... On Schoenman's second claim... the evidence is less conclusive." (Pg. 583-584) Clark includes an Appendix from Russell, explaining his repudiation of Schoenman: "The question ... that has been put to me is why did I not break with him earlier. I did not do so because, until the last few years he was the only person who could and would carry out the work that I thought should be done. The balance of his accomplishments over his drawbacks has only gradually been reversed... Since his methods ... have become inportunately... intolerable... and during the last year can only be termed dishonest, I have felt it necessary to make a definitive break with him." (Pg. 650)
Somewhat superseded by Ray Monk's two-volume biography, 'Bertrand Russell: 1872-1920 The Spirit of Solitude v. 1' and ;Bertrand Russell: 1921-1970, The Ghost of Madness,' this book is still vastly enlightening for anyone wanting to know more about Russell, his books, and his life.
April 26, 2024
Quite interesting. A very intelligent man. He was, if all the stories are true about his womanizing, a sex addict.
August 17, 2025
Interviewer: "What do you consider your most remarkable achievement, Lord Russell?"
Bertrand Russell": Let me put it this way. Whereas most men grow more conservative as they grow older I have found that I have grown more radical".
Eliminate Bertrand Russell's Russell's sex life from this outstanding biography and you'd be left with a volume as slim as ESKIMO DANCE INSTRUCTORS IN KANSAS CITY. He was that rare case, for a philosopher, of the man outlasting the thought, and notoriety outweighing, by tons, the philosophy. One modern philosopher wrote snidely but accurately, "Other than writing a popular history of Western philosophy, what other contribution did Russell make to philosophy?". Russell's remarkable life not only spanned two centuries but he was close to the center of almost every great controversy, political, sexual and intellectual, of the English-speaking world for decades: Expelled from City University of New York, where he held a professorship, for advocating free love, co-publishing, along with Alfred North Whitehead, the PRINCIPIA MATEMATICA, a work of mathematics almost nobody reads, writing the HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY, a long sketch of philosophy from the pre-Socratics to Bergson that everyone should read before dying, fathering English analytical philosophy only to have it destroyed by his brightest pupil, Ludwig Wittgenstein, being thrown into jail for advocating pacifism during World War I, founding the Nuclear Disarmament Campaign after World War II (for which Wittgenstein called him "stupid"), ripping up his membership card in the British Labour Party to protest Harold Wilson's support for the Viet Nam War, and somehow finding the days to marry four times and conduct numerous love affairs. (To his favorite mistress, Lady Ottoline Morrell, he wrote over 1,700 letters.) Along the way he made friendships with everyone from Albert Schweitzer to American hippies. (He met Lenin in person but was not impressed. He held a much higher opinion of Khrushchev .) Whew! Ronald Clark, a professional British biographer, has managed to put this brilliant bull of a man into print without missing a single important meeting, person or political position. If the book has a serious flaw is that understandably Clark underplays Russell's radicalism after age 90: "I find both capitalism and Communism equally deplorable. If I side with one it is because I was born in England." Russell's monument is outraging the bourgeoisie, from an aristocratic stance.
Bertrand Russell": Let me put it this way. Whereas most men grow more conservative as they grow older I have found that I have grown more radical".
Eliminate Bertrand Russell's Russell's sex life from this outstanding biography and you'd be left with a volume as slim as ESKIMO DANCE INSTRUCTORS IN KANSAS CITY. He was that rare case, for a philosopher, of the man outlasting the thought, and notoriety outweighing, by tons, the philosophy. One modern philosopher wrote snidely but accurately, "Other than writing a popular history of Western philosophy, what other contribution did Russell make to philosophy?". Russell's remarkable life not only spanned two centuries but he was close to the center of almost every great controversy, political, sexual and intellectual, of the English-speaking world for decades: Expelled from City University of New York, where he held a professorship, for advocating free love, co-publishing, along with Alfred North Whitehead, the PRINCIPIA MATEMATICA, a work of mathematics almost nobody reads, writing the HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY, a long sketch of philosophy from the pre-Socratics to Bergson that everyone should read before dying, fathering English analytical philosophy only to have it destroyed by his brightest pupil, Ludwig Wittgenstein, being thrown into jail for advocating pacifism during World War I, founding the Nuclear Disarmament Campaign after World War II (for which Wittgenstein called him "stupid"), ripping up his membership card in the British Labour Party to protest Harold Wilson's support for the Viet Nam War, and somehow finding the days to marry four times and conduct numerous love affairs. (To his favorite mistress, Lady Ottoline Morrell, he wrote over 1,700 letters.) Along the way he made friendships with everyone from Albert Schweitzer to American hippies. (He met Lenin in person but was not impressed. He held a much higher opinion of Khrushchev .) Whew! Ronald Clark, a professional British biographer, has managed to put this brilliant bull of a man into print without missing a single important meeting, person or political position. If the book has a serious flaw is that understandably Clark underplays Russell's radicalism after age 90: "I find both capitalism and Communism equally deplorable. If I side with one it is because I was born in England." Russell's monument is outraging the bourgeoisie, from an aristocratic stance.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews