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{{Short description|Book by Bertrand Russell}}
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'''''Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy''''' is a book (1919 first edition) by philosopher [[Bertrand Russell]], in which the author seeks to create an accessible introduction to various topics within the [[foundations of mathematics]]. According to the preface, the book is intended for those with only limited knowledge of mathematics and no prior experience with the [[mathematical logic]] it deals with.<ref>Russell, Bertrand (1919). ''[http://people.umass.edu/klement/imp/imp.pdf Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy]''. London: George Allen and Unwin. p. ii.</ref> Accordingly, it is often used in introductory [[philosophy of mathematics]] courses at institutions of higher education.<ref>Stanford University. (2015). ''[https://philosophy.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj9411/f/courses/syllabus/phil162-262.pdf PHIL162: Philosophy of Mathematics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810191024/https://philosophy.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj9411/f/courses/syllabus/phil162-262.pdf |date=2019-08-10 }}.''</ref><ref>Princeton University. (2018). ''[https://www.princeton.edu/~jburgess/PHI314S18Syllabus.pdf PHI314: Philosophy of Mathematics]''</ref>

== Background ==
''Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy'' was written while Russell was serving time in [[HM Prison Brixton|Brixton Prison]] due to his anti-war activities.<ref>{{Citation|last=Irvine|first=Andrew David|title=Bertrand Russell|date=2019|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/russell/|encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|editor-last=Zalta|editor-first=Edward N.|edition=Summer 2019|publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University|access-date=2020-03-21}}</ref>

== Contents ==
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 number|natural numbers]], [[Real number|real]] and [[Complex number|complex numbers]], [[Limit (mathematics)|limits]] and [[Continuity (mathematics)|continuity]], and [[Class (set theory)|classes]].<ref>Pfeiffer, G. A.. [https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.bams/1183425458 "Russell's Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy"]. ''Bull. Amer. Math. Soc.'' 27 (1920), no. 2, 81–90.</ref>

== 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.

== See also ==
* ''[[Principia Mathematica]]''
* ''[[The Principles of Mathematics]]''
* [[Logicism]] 

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}

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[[Category:Logic books]]
[[Category:Books about philosophy of mathematics]]
[[Category:Books by Bertrand Russell]]
[[Category:1919 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Allen & Unwin books]]
[[Category:Prison writings]]
[[Category:Philosophy textbooks]]


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