The Practice and Theory of Bolshevismby Bertrand Russell This is such a special book to me because it combines two things I really love: Soviet history (particularly the early era) and Bertrand Russell (who is the world’s main man). I tried prepping for this book by reading Bruce Lincoln’s book about the Civil War to have the events fresher in my mind, and this helped immensely. Not that it’s a requirement for anyone reading The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism,...
Human Knowledge: Its Scope and Limits by Bertrand Russell Look, we love Bertrand Russell, OK? And that love is easy to find on Ground Control. Every year we take a chance to read and discuss his books and we’re pleasantly surprised at how they’re unique, witty, and enlightening. The man hardly ever does wrong (like he does on his Autobiography). That’s why Human Knowledge, his last “big book” dealing with epistemology, is such a surprise. We’re sure more in-depth studies...
In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays by Bertrand Russell This is the good ol’ Bertrand Russell I know and love. It’s such a joy to read In Praise of Idleness because these essays are some of the most fun, relevant, and readable essays I’ve encountered. Russell’s books aren’t always everyone’s cup of tea. I will go on record and say that his Autobiography was a bit of a letdown, focusing heavily on letters and not on his personal accounts,...
The Prospects of Industrial Civilization by Bertrand Russell My first impression when researching this book is finding out that even admitted Bertrand Russell “fans” don’t hold this book in very high esteem. Although better and more thorough analyses of this book exist, I still have to argue that there’s a lot to learn in the Prospects of Industrial Civilization. I do agree with critics that this probably should have been a longer book as Russell spends too little time on...
Bertrand Russell The Impact of Science on Society One of the things we love doing here on Ground Control is share some of our favorite books with our readers. We review everything we think looks interesting, even when they turned out to be less-than-stellar (hey, when a publisher sends us a book we ask for, we review it, no matter what). Other times, it’s an absolute joy to write these reviews and tell our audience about these great...