Bertrand Russell’s Logical Atomism

This work deals with the study of Bertrand Russell’s Logical Atomism. This relates to a very important phase in the development of his long philosophical career. The doctrine of logical atomism has been shown to be the joint product of two tendencies, one coming from mathematical logic and the other from empiricism. But the force of gravitation has revolved round Russell’s national empirical tradition, especially Hume’s atoms, and these atoms have been fabricated into logical atoms of a logically perfect language. Russells’ claim for this formalised language have been questioned and finally maintained in the spirit of comparative philosophy and in the light of the development of philosophy of language that language is to be seen in its socio-historical context in which it functions and cannot be dissociated from the world and our living in it. Notwithstanding this it has been rightly assessed that Russell has recognized for the first time in the history of contemporary philosophy which has led to the development of philosophy of language.

Dr. Rashidul Alam (b.1936) did his M.A. in Philosophy in 1957, in Bengali Literature in 1968 and in English Literature in 1970. He served in the first-grade colleges as a Lecturer and also as a Principal for 15 years until 1973, when he joined the Department of Philosophy as Lecturer in Rajshahi University where currently he is Associate Professor. He obtained the degree of Ph.D. on 'Rabindra Kavye Amir Kramabikash' from Calcutta University in 1981, and the degree of D. Lit. in 1986 for 'Bertrand Russell's Logical Atomism from Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta. More than a dozen of his works on Philosophy have so far been published. His first thesis has been published by Bangla Academy, Dhaka He translated two famous English works: The Spirit of Islam by Syed Ameer Ali and my Philosophical Development by Bertrand Russell in Bengali. So far more than fifty articles on philosophy, religion, society and literature have been published. He is now engaged in research on the Philosophy of the Bengaless.