Bertrand Russell — Questions and answers

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What did Bertrand Russell work to bring to human understanding?

Choices

  1. More confusion and difficulty
  2. Precision and reason ✓
  3. Magical stories and myths
  4. Secret messages and codes

Answer: Precision and reason

From page 1

What was the name of the huge book Bertrand Russell wrote with Alfred North Whitehead to make mathematics more certain?

Choices

  1. The Big Book of Numbers
  2. Logical Adventures
  3. Principia Mathematica ✓
  4. Stories of Math and Logic

Answer: Principia Mathematica

From page 2

What was the name of Russell's theory that helped understand sentences about things that might not exist, like 'the present King of France'?

Choices

  1. The Theory of Imaginary Kings
  2. The Theory of Descriptions ✓
  3. The Theory of Nonsense Words
  4. The Theory of Secret Meanings

Answer: The Theory of Descriptions

From page 3

What did Russell's 'Logical Atomism' say the world is made up of, like tiny building blocks?

Choices

  1. Big, complicated problems
  2. Invisible monsters
  3. Simple, irreducible 'atomic facts' ✓
  4. Only words and stories

Answer: Simple, irreducible 'atomic facts'

From page 4

What 'Problem' made Russell question if we can truly know that the future will be like the past, such as the sun rising every day?

Choices

  1. The Problem of Sleeping
  2. The Problem of Induction ✓
  3. The Problem of Weather
  4. The Problem of Time Travel

Answer: The Problem of Induction

From page 5

What was Bertrand Russell's strong belief about war?

Choices

  1. He thought war was exciting and fun.
  2. He believed war was always the best solution.
  3. He was a pacifist and strongly against war. ✓
  4. He didn't care about war one way or another.

Answer: He was a pacifist and strongly against war.

From page 6

What did Bertrand Russell think about 'common sense'?

Choices

  1. He thought common sense was always wrong.
  2. He believed common sense was the only important thing.
  3. He valued common sense as a starting point, but thought we should look deeper. ✓
  4. He ignored common sense completely.

Answer: He valued common sense as a starting point, but thought we should look deeper.

From page 7

What did Bertrand Russell teach us to do when faced with difficult problems?

Choices

  1. To ignore them and hope they disappear.
  2. To question assumptions and ask for evidence. ✓
  3. To make problems even more confusing.
  4. To believe everything without thinking.

Answer: To question assumptions and ask for evidence.

From page 9