Bertrand Russell: atheism, agnosticism and analytical philosophy in the 20th century

Abstract

This work presents the emergence and meaning of the “public atheism” and the “philosophical agnosticism” of the Englishman Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) from the texts he produced particularly in the 1890s and 1920s. To achieve this goal, I chose to highlight in the article: 1) the historiographical debate about the identification of the author as an atheist and agnostic; 2) the origins of his religious disbelief in the English philosophical scene of the 1890s and the criticisms he directed to religious doctrines and institutions in the 1920s; 3) assessments of the British thinker's atheism and agnosticism. Based on these points, I hope to highlight the contribution of this philosopher to the history of ideas about atheism and agnosticism.

Keywords

• bertrand russell. ateísmo. agnosticismo. filosofia analítica.