Frank Ramsey, Cheryl Misak
Frank Ramsey, Cheryl Misak
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Frank Ramsey
A Sheer Excess of Powers

Author: Cheryl Misak

Narrator: Liam Gerrard

Unabridged: 19 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/23/2020

Synopsis

When he died in 1930 aged twenty-six, Frank Ramsey had already invented one branch of mathematics and two branches of economics, laying the foundations for decision theory and game theory. Keynes deferred to him; he was the only philosopher whom Wittgenstein treated as an equal. Had he lived he might have been recognized as the most brilliant thinker of the century. This amiable shambling bear of a man was an ardent socialist, a believer in free love, and an intimate of the Bloomsbury set. For the first time Cheryl Misak tells the full story of his extraordinary life.

About Cheryl Misak

Cheryl Misak is university professor and professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto. She works on American pragmatism, the history of analytic philosophy, ethics and political philosophy, and the philosophy of medicine.

Her most recent books include Frank Ramsey: A Sheer Excess of Powers; Cambridge Pragmatism: From Peirce and James to Ramsey and Wittgenstein; The American Pragmatists; Truth and the End of Inquiry: A Peircean Account of Truth; and Truth, Politics, Morality: Pragmatism and Deliberation.

She has had visiting fellowships or positions at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, the Free University in Berlin, Trinity College Cambridge, St. John's College Cambridge, and New York University.

In 2013 she completed a long run in academic administration at the University of Toronto, culminating as vice president and provost.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Timothy on March 05, 2020

This is an outstanding book, about an extraordinary man. During his tragically short life (he died in 1930 shortly before his 27th birthday) Frank Ramsey made significant contributions to philosophy, economics and pure mathematics, many of which were not recognised until many years later. He was infl......more

Goodreads review by Allan on August 20, 2020

I should preface this review by disclosing, I know the author and actually commented on a manuscript of this book before its publication, all opinions remain my own. This book is a comprehensive philosophical biography of Frank Ramsey. It also includes much biographical information about the man, his......more

Goodreads review by Gavin on May 21, 2022

A good book about maximally important ideas. She invites various technical experts to write some info boxes about mathematical matters, which is extremely admirable since the meat of Ramsey is all in the maths and the logic. Here's an essay with my gushing thoughts on his work. We can evaluate the......more

Goodreads review by Marks54 on September 20, 2020

This is one of the best intellectual biographies I have ever encountered about an amazing man who is seen as one of the greatest stars of Cambridge ever, even though he died before reaching his 27th birthday. This was an amazing person and the author has a lot to cram into this wonderful book. There......more

Goodreads review by John D. Bennett on April 02, 2020

Ramsey was a brilliant student, and I enjoyed reading about his academic career at boarding school (Winchester) and at Cambridge in the years during and after World War I. He was a member of the famous “Apostles” society at Cambridge, knew all the Bloomsbury types including Virginia Woolf and Lytton......more

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