Claim: Bertrand Russell's work has had a great deal of influence on set theory.

Bertrand Arthur William Russell , 3rd Earl Russell , -LRB- -LSB- ˈrʌsəl -RSB- 18 May 1872 -- 2 February 1970 -RRB- was a British philosopher , logician , mathematician , historian , writer , social critic , political activist and Nobel laureate . At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal , a socialist , and a pacifist , but he also admitted that he had `` never been any of these things , in any profound sense '' . He was born in Monmouthshire into one of the most prominent aristocratic families in the United Kingdom .   In the early 20th century , Russell led the British `` revolt against idealism '' . He is considered one of the founders of analytic philosophy along with his predecessor Gottlob Frege , colleague G. E. Moore , and protégé Ludwig Wittgenstein . He is widely held to be one of the 20th century 's premier logicians . With A. N. Whitehead he wrote Principia Mathematica , an attempt to create a logical basis for mathematics . His philosophical essay `` On Denoting '' has been considered a `` paradigm of philosophy '' . His work has had a considerable influence on mathematics , logic , set theory , linguistics , artificial intelligence , cognitive science , computer science -LRB- see type theory and type system -RRB- , and philosophy , especially the philosophy of language , epistemology , and metaphysics .   Russell mostly was a prominent anti-war activist ; he championed anti-imperialism . Occasionally , he advocated preventive nuclear war , before the opportunity provided by the atomic monopoly had passed , and `` welcomed with enthusiasm '' world government . He went to prison for his pacifism during World War I. Later , he campaigned against Adolf Hitler , then criticised Stalinist totalitarianism , attacked the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War , and was an outspoken proponent of nuclear disarmament . In 1950 Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature `` in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought '' .