Epistemology

Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays

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Bertrand Russell

1918

This collection of essays gathers some of Russell's most celebrated popular philosophical writing from the first two decades of the twentieth century. The title essay examines the tension between the mystical impulse — which seeks unity, timelessness, and the subordination of reason to feeling — and the scientific spirit that Russell champions. Other essays address free will, the place of science in liberal education, the nature of mathematics, and the philosophical implications of physics. The collection showcases Russell at his most accessible: a technical philosopher who could write with elegance, passion, and genuine commitment to the life of the mind.