''Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy'' is a book (1919 first edition) by philosopher

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician, and public intellectual. He had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, ar ...

, in which the author seeks to create an accessible introduction to various topics within the

foundations of mathematics Foundations of mathematics is the study of the philosophical and logical and/or algorithmic basis of mathematics, or, in a broader sense, the mathematical investigation of what underlies the philosophical theories concerning the nature of mathe ...

. According to the preface, the book is intended for those with only limited knowledge of mathematics and no prior experience with the

mathematical logic Mathematical logic is the study of formal logic within mathematics. Major subareas include model theory, proof theory, set theory, and recursion theory. Research in mathematical logic commonly addresses the mathematical properties of formal sy ...

it deals with. Accordingly, it is often used in introductory

philosophy of mathematics The philosophy of mathematics is the branch of philosophy that studies the assumptions, foundations, and implications of mathematics. It aims to understand the nature and methods of mathematics, and find out the place of mathematics in people ...

courses at institutions of higher education.

Background

''Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy'' was written while Russell was serving time in Brixton Prison due to his anti-war activities.

The book deals with a wide variety of topics within the philosophy of mathematics and mathematical logic including the logical basis and definition of

natural numbers In mathematics, the natural numbers are those numbers used for counting (as in "there are ''six'' coins on the table") and ordering (as in "this is the ''third'' largest city in the country"). Numbers used for counting are called ''cardinal ...

real Real may refer to: Currencies * Brazilian real (R$) * Central American Republic real * Mexican real * Portuguese real * Spanish real * Spanish colonial real Music Albums * ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000) * ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...

and

complex numbers In mathematics, a complex number is an element of a number system that extends the real numbers with a specific element denoted , called the imaginary unit and satisfying the equation i^= -1; every complex number can be expressed in the form a ...

limits Limit or Limits may refer to: Arts and media * ''Limit'' (manga), a manga by Keiko Suenobu * ''Limit'' (film), a South Korean film * Limit (music), a way to characterize harmony * "Limit" (song), a 2016 single by Luna Sea * "Limits", a 2019 ...

and continuity, and classes.Pfeiffer, G. A.
"Russell's Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy"
''Bull. Amer. Math. Soc.'' 27 (1920), no. 2, 81–90.

Editions

* Russell, Bertrand (1919), ''Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy'', George Allen & Unwin. (Reprinted: Routledge, 1993.) * Russell, Bertrand (1920), ''Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy'', London: George Allen & Unwin / NY: Macmillan, Second Edition, reprintings 1920, 1924, 1930.

Footnotes

Logic books Books about philosophy of mathematics Books by Bertrand Russell 1919 non-fiction books Allen & Unwin books Prison writings Philosophy textbooks {{philosophy-book-stub

Background

Contents

Editions

See also

Footnotes