Bertrand Russell and the Origins of Analytical Philosophy

''The chief thesis I have to maintain,'' Bertrand Russell once wrote, ''is the legitimacy of analysis.'' His reputation as the founder of the analytic tradition, secure for many decades, has come under some attack recently from the emphasis placed by Michael Dummett and others on the role played by Gottlob Frege. This collection of new essays from distinguished philosophers and Russell scholars explores Russell's own unique and enduringly important contribution to shaping the concerns and the methods of contemporary analytical philosophers. It includes both general discussions of the nature of analytical philosophy and minutely detailed analyses of Russell's own arguments, and covers the whole range of Russell's famously varied output. Contributors include Nicholas Griffin, Peter Hylton , A. C. Grayling, C. M. Kilmister, and others. "This collection of new essays from distinguished philosophers and Russell scholars from around the world seeks to explore Russell's enduringly important contribution to shaping the concerns and the methods of contemporary analytical philosophers. It includes both general discussions of the nature of analytical philosophy and detailed analyses of Russell's arguments, and covers the whole range of Russell's famously varied output, from his Essay on the Foundations of Geometry to his often neglected work on ethics." "Taken together this collection shows why Russell's work deserves to be reconsidered and provides essential guidelines as to the form that reconsideration should take. It will be read by all who seek to understand, not only Russell's contribution to the analytical tradition, but the nature of that tradition itself."--Jacket This collection of essays seeks to explore Bertrand Russell's contribution to shaping the concerns and the methods of contemporary analytical philosophers. It includes both general discussions of the nature of analytical philosophy and detailed analyses of Russell's own arguments.